The movement was founded in September 1942 as Committee for the Independence of Sicily (Comitato per l'Indipendenza della Sicilia, CIS) finding inspiration in the Sicilian Vespers, with Andrea Finocchiaro Aprile serving as its first president.

The movement gained presence and support following the Armistice of Cassibile of 8 September 1943, which forced Italy to abandon the island, while the U.S. troops still were on the verge of completing the military occupation of Sicily.

In October 1943, Finocchiaro Aprile asked the King of Italy Victor Emmanuel III to abdicate, and successively gained support to his cause from about ten Sicilian deputies.

Soon after the latter, Finocchiaro Aprile and several other members resigned from MIS and the movement entered into a sort of political hiatus, never being formally disbanded.

On 11 May 2009, during a press conference, the leaders of the Movement gave the honorary member card to the then President of the Sicilian Region Raffaele Lombardo the following motivation: "For having placed himself at the service of the "autonomist cause" and for helping to awaken the identity and pride of the Sicilian People", fearing the hypothesis of an alliance with the Movement for Autonomies, of which Lombardo himself is the leader.

The independentist Massimo Cirano, belonging to the "Archimedes Section" of the MIS presented himself in April 2019, with his symbol and list, to the administrative authorities of the municipality of Bagheria obtaining 1160 votes.