Fascism and the Italian Population of Queensland 1910-1945
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“BEFORE EVERYTHING, REMAIN ITALIAN”: FASCISM AND THE ITALIAN POPULATION OF QUEENSLAND 1910-1945 DAVID BROWN. BA (HONS), BEd. A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Queensland in August 2008 School of History, Philosophy, Religion and Classics. Declaration by author This thesis is composed of my original work, and contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text. I have clearly stated the contribution by others to jointly-authored works that I have included in my thesis. I have clearly stated the contribution of others to my thesis as a whole, including statistical assistance, survey design, data analysis, significant technical procedures, professional editorial advice, and any other original research work used or reported in my thesis. The content of my thesis is the result of work I have carried out since the commencement of my research higher degree candidature and does not include a substantial part of work that has been submitted to qualify for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution. I have clearly stated which parts of my thesis, if any, have been submitted to qualify for another award. I acknowledge that an electronic copy of my thesis must be lodged with the University Library and, subject to the General Award Rules of The University of Queensland, immediately made available for research and study in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968. I acknowledge that copyright of all material contained in my thesis resides with the copyright holder(s) of that material. Statement of Contributions to Jointly Authored Works Contained in the Thesis No Jointly-authored works Statement of Contributions by Others to the Thesis as a Whole No contributions by others Statement of Parts of the Thesis Submitted to Qualify for the Award of Another Degree None Published Works by the Author Incorporated into the Thesis D. Brown, ‘Accepting Fascism?: Politics and the Italian Community 1930-1940,’ University of Queensland Historical Proceedings, 16 (2005): 89-105. Incorporated as paragraphs in Chapters 2, 3 and 5. D. Brown, ‘Fascism within the pre-World War II Italian population of Queensland: a study of community processes and interaction,’ Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society 93, No. 1 (June 2007): 22-39. Incorporated as paragraphs in Chapters 2, 3 and 5. Additional Published Works by the Author Relevant to the Thesis but not Forming Part of it None i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In the course of this thesis I have received considerable support, assistance and advice from a number of people whom I would now like to thank. Firstly, to my supervisors Geoff Ginn and Don Dignan who have always been available to provide helpful support and advice throughout this thesis and were able to point me in the right direction when aspects became difficult. I would also like to thank Ilma O’Brien and Richard Bosworth who both offered productive advice that significantly assisted my study. In addition I want to acknowledge the substantial help of Bill Casey in reading through the entire thesis and offering numerous helpful suggestions. The staff at the Australian Archives at Cannon Hill deserve acknowledgement as well for the considerable help they provided me at the beginning of this project. To my friends and colleagues Jen Tsen Kwok, Rob Edwards and Avan Stallard thanks for all the advice, the office space when I first started and didn’t have anywhere to study and for the social occasions that made my time completing this thesis so enjoyable. To Stefano Girola, Enzo Palmieri and Fiorenza Jones a big thank you, this would have taken a lot longer without your help. Finally and most significantly, I would like to thank my wife Amy for believing in me and agreeing to give up her job so I could return to Australia to begin my thesis. I can never thank you enough for all your help, patience and understanding over the last three and a half years. ABSTRACT This thesis is a study of the Italian Fascist party’s (PNF) impact on the Italian population of Queensland. The study looks at the overall development of the Queensland Italian population between the years 1910 and 1945, how this was affected by the Fascist party’s policies in encouraging support for its politics amongst Italians abroad from 1922 to 1940 and the differing ways in which Queensland Italians reacted to these Fascist party activities. ii This is the first study dedicated to the impact of Fascism on the Queensland Italian population. Through its specific focus the thesis provides a substantial contribution to the history of Queensland’s Italian population as well as to the overall social history of the state. The Italians were the largest group of non-Anglo-Celtic migrants in Queensland before World War II. How their adaptation to life in Australia was shaped both by domestic as well as international political factors provides further understanding of migrant history in Australia. The thesis also helps to expand the understanding of the Italian Fascist party, its policies in regards to Italians abroad and the impact this had on specific Italian settlements. By using previous studies on Fascism and Italian populations abroad this thesis clarifies how and why Italian communities across the world reacted differently to the policies of the Fascist party. This clarification is a result of comparing and contrasting Queensland Italians’ interactions with the PNF with those of Italian populations in other Australian states, the United States, South America and Britain. This study draws on a wealth of primary sources including Australian and Italo-Australian newspapers from the period 1910 to1945, as well as numerous Australian and Queensland archival documents relating to Italian life in Queensland and the activities of the Italian Fascist party and Queensland Italian Fascist associations in the state. The thesis also uses Italian consular documents that provide essential information on the activities of Fascist Italy’s consular representatives in Queensland. The interpretation and conclusions made by this thesis through the study of the primary sources are shaped by secondary studies relating to Italian settlement in Australia, the history of the Fascist party in Italy and the activities and impact of the Fascist party’s policies on Italian populations in the United States, Britain and South America. Drawing these several areas of research together, it can be seen that Fascism’s impact on the Queensland Italian population was substantial, although making a general conclusion on Queensland Italian support for Fascism is difficult as Italians associated with the PNF for a myriad of reasons. Some embraced Fascism as a patriotic force that defended Italian rights in Queensland, others supported Fascism as an anti-Communist political movement, while other Italians associated with the PNF because of the financial benefits it provided. For most Italians a conglomeration of these factors shaped their interaction with the PNF. What can also not be discounted is the fact that the PNF used intimidation and the threat of retribution to silence anti-Fascist political opposition in Queensland. While many Italians may not have been supporters of the PNF they were disinclined to actively support anti-Fascist groups and instead adhered to those aspects of Fascism that best suited their situation. This could simply mean avoiding politics and refusing to purchase newspapers or attend clubs classified by the PNF as anti-Fascist. Thus it was a complex and multifaceted interaction between the activities of the PNF in the state, the context of Italian life in iii Queensland and individual political belief held by Italians which contributed to the unique impact of Fascist politics in this part of Australia. Overall, this thesis aims to contribute to a better understanding of Fascism, the relationship of Italians to the totalitarian regime of the PNF, the history of the Fasci All’estero and the nature of immigrant transnational politics. Importantly, through analysis of the impact of Fascism on the Queensland Italian population, this study is significant in adding to a more complex historical comprehension of Italian pre-1945 settlement in Queensland and the multifaceted political, economic and class distinctions that shaped the rich life of Italian communities in the state during this historical period. KEYWORDS italian diaspora, australia, queensland history, fascism, ethnic politics, transnationalism, catholicism. AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND STANDARD RESEARCH CLASSIFICATIONS (ANZSRC) .210303 Australian History (excl. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander History) 100% iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .Page ii ABSTRACT .Page ii LIST OF FIGURES .Page vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE THESIS .Page vii INTRODUCTION .Page 1 CHAPTER ONE The growth of the Italian population in Queensland and the effect of World War I, 1910-1922. .Page 29 CHAPTER TWO The advent of the Fascist government in Italy and its early impact on Queensland Italians, 1922-1930. .Page 55 CHAPTER THREE The development of Fascist influence in Queensland, 1930-1935. .Page 105 CHAPTER FOUR The Italo-Abyssinia conflict and the approach of World War II: Their impact on Italian Fascism in Queensland, 1935-1939. .Page 161 CHAPTER FIVE World War II, internment and the end of the Italian Fascist presence in Queensland 1940-1945. .Page 201 CONCLUSION. .Page 233 BIBLIOGRAPHY. .Page 241 v LIST OF