Correre in camicia nera. La fascistizzazione del ciclismo: Il caso della Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale (1925-1928)

Abstract

This contribution aims to illustrate the ideologic, propaganda and sports political directions and motivations that led the Commands of the Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale to strongly support the cycling activity of the soldiers at first, and to drastically reduce it shortly later, following the redefinition of the regime’s sporting arrangements caused by the “Carta dello sport”. In addition to outlining the strictly sporting aspects of MVSN’s activity in the cycling field, this contribution intends to provide some insights that can enrich the overall interpretation of the regime’s relationship with cycling. The analysis of the MVSN’s case allows us to highlight some dynamics of the fascistization of the cycling world, the role played by sport as a way for party officials to obtain visibility, distinction and political credit, and the meaning that the sporting dimension took on in the organizational structure and in the development of the Milizia’s fascist ideology.