Editing Roberto Farinacci (section)

== In World War II ==
[[File:Votazione odg Grandi.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The outcome of a vote of [[Grand Council of Fascism]] in which Farinacci voted against]]
When [[World War II]] began, Farinacci sided with [[Nazi Germany]]. He frequently communicated with the [[Nazi Party|Nazis]] and became one of Mussolini's advisors on Italy's dealings with Germany. For his part, Farinacci urged Mussolini to enter Italy into the war as a member of the [[Axis powers|Axis]]. In 1941, Farinacci became Inspector of the Militia in Italian-occupied [[Albania]].

In July 1943, Farinacci took part in the [[Grand Council of Fascism]] meeting which led to [[25 Luglio|Mussolini's downfall]]. While the majority of the council voted to force Mussolini out of the government, Farinacci did not side against him. After [[Fall of the Fascist regime in Italy|Mussolini's arrest]], Farinacci fled to Germany in order to escape arrest.

The Nazi hierarchy considered putting Farinacci in charge of a German-backed Italian government in Northern Italy (the [[Italian Social Republic]]), but he was passed over in favor of Mussolini when the latter was rescued by [[Otto Skorzeny]] in September through the raid known as [[Unternehmen Eiche]]. Afterwards, Farinacci went back to Cremona without taking active part in political life. However, he did continue to write politically oriented articles. He also funded the journal ''Crociata Italica'', the main organ of a small group of [[Clerical fascism|clerical fascist]] priests led by Don Tullio Calcagno. 

[[File:Roberto Farinacci 1945.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Farinacci's execution]] In the morning of 26 April 1945, in the closing days of World War II, Farinacci fled Cremona and headed towards [[Valtellina]], along with a small group of Fascist diehards. Near [[Bergamo]] he parted from the main column and headed towards [[Vimercate]] along with [[marquise]] Maria Carolina Vidoni Soranzo, secretary of the female Fasces, whose sister owned a [[villa]] there. On 27 April their car ran into a [[Italian resistance movement|partisan]] patrol near [[Brivio]] and refused to stop, resulting in a shootout in which the driver was killed and Marquise Vidoni Soranzo was mortally wounded. The uninjured Farinacci was captured along with twelve [[suitcase]]s, filled with money and [[Gemstone|jewels]]; he was brought to the [[town hall]] of Vimercate and  tried by a partisan court. He demanded to be brought to Cremona, claiming that "''there they will tell you that I did good and that I must be released''", and contesting all accusations against him; there was some indecision about the sentence, as the representatives of the [[Christian Democracy (Italy)|Christian Democracy]] and of the [[Italian Liberal Party]] wanted to hand him over to the Allies, whereas those of the [[Italian Communist Party]] and of the [[Italian Socialist Party]] wanted to execute him. In the end he was [[sentenced to death]] and executed by [[firing squad]] in the main square of Vimercate on 28 April 1945. The partisans wanted to shoot him in the back, but at last second he turned and was thus shot in the chest, reportedly shouting "Long live Italy".<ref>Guido Gerosa, ''I gerarchi di Mussolini'', p. 117</ref><ref>Giordano Bruno Guerri, ''Fascisti: Gli italiani di Mussolini, il regime degli italiani'', p. 115</ref><ref>Giuseppe Pardini, ''Roberto Farinacci. Ovvero della rivoluzione fascista'', p. 459</ref>

In the [[Florestano Vancini]]'s film ''[[The Assassination of Matteotti]]'' (1973), Farinacci is played by Max Dorian. Together with [[Giovanni Preziosi]], Farinacci was one of the most prominent Fascist voices of [[racial antisemitism]] during the [[Fascist Italy (1922–1943)|Mussolini regime]].<ref>Kertzer, David I., The Popes Against the Jews, 283</ref><ref>De Felice (1993), ''passim''</ref>