Editing Avanguardia Nazionale

[[File:Avn symbol.png|thumb|The "Ideal Rune" symbol of Avanguardia Nazionale.]]
'''Avanguardia Nazionale''' (Italian: National Vanguard) was an Italian fascist militant group founded April 25, 1960 by [[Stefano Delle Chiaie]]. It is best known for the Borghese coup which it attempted in 1970 and was dissolved in 1976 under the Scelba law which prohibits reconstituting  

the [[National Fascist Party]]. However,  activists continued informally under the name "Comunita di Avanguardia" (Vanguard Community) which remains active to this day. 

==Origins==
Avanguardia Nazionale began as an extraparliamentary activist branch of the [[Ordine Nuovo]] study group. Known as Gruppi Armati Rivoluzionari (Revolutionary Armed Groups), they advocated abstentionism(despite the name, this was their means of revolution, not armed struggle). Eventually, ON leader and founder Pino Rauti expelled delle Chiaie and his followers from the organization because he did not want ON to be involved in politics. After the expulsion, GAR became Avanguardia Nazionale Giovanile (National Youth Vanguard).

==Early activity and first dissolution==
ANG frequently clashed with left-wing student and youth groups, such as those of the Italian Communist Party (PCI). Notably on April 25, 1964 which was both their founding anniversary and Italy's Liberation Day, they attacked the Student House in Rome, wounding two. They were also contacted by Carabinieri general Giovanni di Lorenzo for support in a coup plot, but delle Chiaie declined. In 1965 they officially dissolved due to police investigations, but continued under different names.

==Borghese Coup==
Avanguardia Nazionale Giovanile was refounded following a merger with Fronte Nazionale (National Front) a fascist secret society led by retired naval officer [[Junio Valerio Borghese]], changing its name to simply Avanguardia Nazionale. Borghese and delle Chiaie, together with forestry major Luciano Berti, Air Force general Giuseppe Casero, and P2 lodge master Licio Gelli, plotted to take control of various strategic locations in Rome, including:

*The Ministry of Defense
*The Ministry of the Interior
*Rai (Italian Public Television) and other radio/television stations
*Telephone lines
*Parliament
*Quirinale Palace

They also aimed to kidnap President Giuseppe Saragat and assassinate State Police Chief Angelo Vicari. Once all of this was accomplished, Borghese would read a statement on Rai, proclaiming the previous government dissolved and declaring his intentions to establish a new government. 

During the night of December 7, 1970, the coup was set into motion. Casero and the military personnel occupied the Ministry of Defense while Berti and the foresters headed for Rai. Gelli was in charge of the group going to the Quirinale to kidnap Saragat, while delle Chiaie raided the Ministry of the Interior to arm the AN militants.

===Cancellation===
At 1:49 AM on December 8, Borghese received a call from an unknown person and ordered the coup cancelled. Due to the coup being stopped, many AN members were not arrested and it was not publicly known for three months. delle Chiaie and Borghese fled to Spain, and would eventually be acquitted along with all other coup plotters, due to the coup attempt not actually being fully carried out.

It is unclear why the coup was cancelled. Claudio Vitalone, the prosecutor in the trials, theorized that the coup was part of the "strategy of tension". According to this hypothesis, AN was aiming to provoke a strong reaction from the Italian government, in the same way that ON aimed to do by committing bombings. Others suggest that CIA agents working with Borghese had the coup called off.

===Effects===
On March 18,1971, leftist newspaper ''Paese Sera'' published a headline describing the coup attempt. Together with the Piazza Fontana bombing in 1969, it caused many Italian leftists to fear that the state could not prevent a fascist takeover or protect them from fascist violence, meaning they would have to do so themselves. As a result, despite not being carried out, the Borghese coup arguably caused the escalation of Italy's Years of Lead in which at least 428 people died..

== After the coup ==
Some AN members took part in the Reggio Calabria revolt of July 1970-February 1971. This uprising was aimed at making Reggio Calabria the capital of Calabria and many other local organizations participated. Six people died and 54 were injured. 

In 1978, 46 organizers of the Borghese Coup were put on trial and convicted of political conspiracy. They were acquitted on appeal in 1984. By this point, however, they had been convicted of reconstituting the fascist party, and in 1976 AN had dissolved.

== In popular culture ==
A fictionalized version of the Borghese Coup appears in the Italian comedy film ''Vogliamo i colonnelli'' (''We want the colonels'') made in 1973. The film's protagonist is based on Borghese.
[[Category:Terrorists]]
[[Category:Usurper]]
[[Category:Totalitarians]]
[[Category:Organizations]]
[[Category:Italy]]
[[Category:European Villains]]
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[[Category:Corrupting Influence]]
[[Category:Fascist]]
[[Category:Extremists]]