Italian irredentism in Switzerland

Italian irredentism in Switzerland was based on moderate Risorgimento ideals, and was promoted by Italian-Ticinese such as Adolfo Carmine.

[1] Following the rise to power of Italian Fascism, however, the initial moderate irredentism started to change to one full of aggression: the same Benito Mussolini created in the early 1930s the Partito Fascista Ticinese (Ticino Fascist Party).

However, it was successfully contrasted by socialist organizations, like "Liberi e Svizzeri" of Guglielmo Canevascini, promoted even by the Swiss government.

The most renowned fascist born in Canton Ticino was Aurelio Garobbio, who tried to imitate Gabriele D'Annunzio with his organization called Giovani Ticinesi.

[9] After 1935 Garobbio was the main responsible of the Italian irredentism in Switzerland and was with Mussolini until his death in spring 1945, when he tried to organize a last fascist area of defense in Valtellina next to Ticino.

Map of Switzerland showing in blue color the Italian-speaking areas ( Ticino and Italian Grisons ), where Italian irredentism was strongest.
Italian ethnic regions claimed in the 1930s by the Italian irredentism : * Green: Nice , Ticino and Dalmatia * Red: Malta * Violet: Corsica * Savoy and Corfu were later claimed