Arturo Michelini

Arturo Michelini (17 February 1909 - 15 June 1969) was an Italian politician and Secretary of the Italian Social Movement.

Michelini was born in Florence. An accountant by profession, he was a lower to middle-ranking figure in the National Fascist Party, rising to become secretary of the party in Rome.^[1] Despite this, Michelini, a pro-Franco veteran of the Spanish Civil War, did not hold office in the Italian Social Republic.^[2]

Michelini emerged as leader of the MSI in 1954 and sought to moderate the party's neo-fascism in an attempt to bring it more into the political mainstream, an endeavour in which he largely failed.^[1] Linked to financial powers in Rome as well as the Vatican City who sought to move the MSI away from its third position rhetoric into more conservative ideals.^[3] His policies helped to push some of the more radical elements out of the party and into such fringe groups as Avanguardia Nazionale and Ordine Nuovo.^[4] Despite these attempts at moderation the MSI lost support under Michelini's dropping from 5.8% in the 1953 general election to 4.9% in the 1958 election.^[5] He nevertheless remained leader until his death when Giorgio Almirante, the head of the extremist faction, returned to the leadership.

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