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{{short description|Italian entrepreneur and politician}}
{{short description|Italian entrepreneur and politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = ''Cavaliere''
| honorific_prefix = ''Cavaliere''
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| governor_general2 = <!--Can be repeated up to 16 times by changing the number-->
| governor_general2 = <!--Can be repeated up to 16 times by changing the number-->
| primeminister4 = [[Pietro Badoglio]]
| primeminister4 = [[Pietro Badoglio]]
| predecessor4 = Domenico Bartolini
| predecessor4 = [[Domenico Bartolini]]
| successor4 = Quinto Quintieri
| successor4 = [[Quinto Quintieri]]
| awards = [[File:Cavaliere OCI BAR.svg|25px]] ''[[Order of the Crown of Italy|Cavaliere dell'Ordine della Corona d'Italia]]''
| awards = [[File:Cavaliere OCI BAR.svg|25px]] ''[[Order of the Crown of Italy|Cavaliere dell'Ordine della Corona d'Italia]]''
| allegiance = {{flagicon image|Flag of Italy (1861-1946).svg|size=22px}} [[Kingdom of Italy|Italy]]
| allegiance = {{flagicon image|Flag of Italy (1861-1946).svg|size=22px}} [[Kingdom of Italy|Italy]]
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| mawards = [[File:Valor militare silver medal BAR.svg|25px]] ''[[Medaglia d'Argento al Valore Militare]]''}}
| mawards = [[File:Valor militare silver medal BAR.svg|25px]] ''[[Medaglia d'Argento al Valore Militare]]''}}


'''Guido Jung''' (2 February 1876 – 25 December 1949) was a successful [[Italian Jews|Jewish-born Italian]] banker and merchant from [[Sicily]], who later converted to Catholicism.
'''Guido Jung''' (2 February 1876 – 25 December 1949) was a successful [[Italian Jews|Jewish-born Italian]] banker and merchant from [[Sicily]].


He was a member of the [[Grand Council of Fascism]] and served as [[Italian Minister of Finance]] from 1932-35 under [[Benito Mussolini]]. Jung was an important player in international finance during the interwar period, leading Italian negotiations with the United States over tariff questions, heading Italo-German economic talks with [[Hermann Göring]], and representing Italy at the [[London Economic Conference]] during which he was heralded in press reports for his diplomatic tact.
He was a member of the [[Grand Council of Fascism]] and served as [[Italian Minister of Finance]] from 1932-35 under [[Benito Mussolini]]. Jung was an important player in international finance during the interwar period, leading Italian negotiations with the United States over tariff questions, heading Italo-German economic talks with [[Hermann Göring]], and representing Italy at the [[London Economic Conference]] during which he was heralded in press reports for his diplomatic tact.


Jung was ultimately sidelined by Mussolini due to his Jewish heritage, despite reports from the [[Organization for Vigilance and Repression of Anti-Fascism]] that described him as a disciplined and loyal fascist. After the surrender of Italy, Jung briefly served as finance minister a second time – in 1944 – under [[Pietro Badoglio]] but was dismissed after three months following allegations concerning the extent and depth of his roots in the [[National Fascist Party]]. Though a fanatical fascist, Jung drew a sharp distinction between fascism and [[Nazism]], once comparing the Nazi Party to a baby and later reportedly calling [[Adolf Hitler]] a "blockhead".
As Italy's alliance with Germany grew stronger, Jung was ultimately sidelined by Mussolini due to his Jewish heritage, despite reports from the [[Organization for Vigilance and Repression of Anti-Fascism]] that described him as a disciplined and loyal fascist. After the surrender of Italy, Jung briefly served as finance minister a second time – in 1944 – under [[Pietro Badoglio]] but was dismissed after three months following allegations concerning the extent and depth of his roots in the [[National Fascist Party]]. Though a fanatical fascist, Jung drew a sharp distinction between fascism and [[Nazism]], once comparing the Nazi Party to a baby and later reportedly calling [[Adolf Hitler]] a "blockhead".


An artillery officer in the Italian Army during both world wars, Jung commanded troops in both Europe and Africa. For various acts of bravery in combat, he was decorated with the Silver Medal of Military Valor on four separate occasions. He was created a knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy by [[Victor Emmanuel III of Italy|Victor Emmanuel III]].
An artillery officer in the Italian Army during both world wars, Jung commanded troops in both Europe and Africa. For various acts of bravery in combat, he was decorated with the Silver Medal of Military Valor on four separate occasions. He was created a knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy by [[Victor Emmanuel III of Italy|Victor Emmanuel III]].


==Early life==
==Early life==
Jung was born in [[Sicily]] to a wealthy, [[Orthodox Jewish]] merchant family who had emigrated from Germany.<ref name="inst"/><ref name="uw">{{cite book|last1=Sarfatti|first1=Michele|title=The Jews in Mussolini's Italy: From Equality to Persecution|date=2006|publisher=University of Wisconsin Press|isbn=0299217345|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q2g0hRXImhUC}}</ref><ref name="jta1"/> As a young man, he undertook a business apprenticeship in London.<ref name="franco"/>
Jung was born in [[Sicily]] to a wealthy, [[Orthodox Jewish]] merchant family who had emigrated from Germany.<ref name="inst"/><ref name="uw">{{cite book|last1=Sarfatti|first1=Michele|title=The Jews in Mussolini's Italy: From Equality to Persecution|date=2006|publisher=University of Wisconsin Press|isbn=0299217345|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q2g0hRXImhUC}}</ref><ref name="jta1"/> The [[Palazzo Jung, Palermo|Palazzo Jung]] on via Lincoln in Palermo had belonged to the family. As a young man, he undertook a business apprenticeship in London.<ref name="franco"/>


==Career==
==Career==
===Private sector and military service===
===Private sector and military service===
Jung took over the family business of fruit importing and ran it to continued commercial success.<ref name="inst"/> He also served on the board of directors of the Bank of Palermo, in recognition of which he was, in 1906, invested into the [[Order of the Crown of Italy]] at the degree of ''Cavaliere''.<ref name="inst">{{cite web|last1=Giuntini|first1=Elisa|title=Guido Jung, Imprenditore|url=http://www.isspe.it/news/49-numeri-rassegna-siciliana/rassegna-siciliana-di-storia-e-cultura-n-23/191-guido-jung-imprenditore-ministro-ebreo-fascista-di-elisa-giuntini.html|website=isspe.it|publisher=Sicilian Institute for the Study of Politics and Economics|accessdate=March 9, 2018|language=Sicilian}}</ref>
Jung took over the family business of fruit importing and ran it to continued commercial success.<ref name="inst"/> He also served on the board of directors of the Bank of Palermo, in recognition of which he was, in 1906, invested into the [[Order of the Crown of Italy]] at the degree of ''Cavaliere''.<ref name="inst">{{cite web|last1=Giuntini|first1=Elisa|title=Guido Jung, Imprenditore|url=http://www.isspe.it/news/49-numeri-rassegna-siciliana/rassegna-siciliana-di-storia-e-cultura-n-23/191-guido-jung-imprenditore-ministro-ebreo-fascista-di-elisa-giuntini.html|website=isspe.it|publisher=Sicilian Institute for the Study of Politics and Economics|accessdate=March 9, 2018|language=Sicilian|archive-date=March 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180310135623/http://www.isspe.it/news/49-numeri-rassegna-siciliana/rassegna-siciliana-di-storia-e-cultura-n-23/191-guido-jung-imprenditore-ministro-ebreo-fascista-di-elisa-giuntini.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>


During [[World War I]], Jung served in the [[Royal Italian Army]]'s 25th Artillery Regiment, rising to the rank of [[captain]] and being decorated with the Bronze Medal of Military Valor which was, on application of Jung's commander, subsequently converted to the Silver Medal of Military Valor.<ref name="inst"/><ref name="franco">{{cite book|last1=Raspagliesi|first1=Roberta|title=Guido Jung. Imprenditore ebreo e ministro fascista: Imprenditore ebreo e ministro fascista|date=2012|publisher=FrancoAngeli|isbn=978-8856863666|pages=102, 236–44}}</ref>
During [[World War I]], Jung served in the [[Royal Italian Army]]'s 25th Artillery Regiment, rising to the rank of [[captain]] and being decorated with the Bronze Medal of Military Valor which was, on application of Jung's commander, subsequently converted to the Silver Medal of Military Valor.<ref name="inst"/><ref name="franco">{{cite book|last1=Raspagliesi|first1=Roberta|title=Guido Jung. Imprenditore ebreo e ministro fascista: Imprenditore ebreo e ministro fascista|date=2012|publisher=FrancoAngeli|isbn=978-8856863666|pages=102, 236–44}}</ref>
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Prime Minister [[Benito Mussolini]] reasoned at the time that "a Jew should be at the head of finance".<ref name="stl">{{cite news|title=Guido Jung Dies in Sicily|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/139101616|accessdate=March 9, 2018|work=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|publisher=[[newspapers.com]]|date=December 28, 1949}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Waagenaar|first1=Sam|title=The Pope's Jews|date=1974|publisher=Alcove Press|isbn=0856570265|page=172|url=http://collections.americanjewisharchives.org/ms/ms0603/ms0603.052.001.pdf}}</ref>
Prime Minister [[Benito Mussolini]] reasoned at the time that "a Jew should be at the head of finance".<ref name="stl">{{cite news|title=Guido Jung Dies in Sicily|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/139101616|accessdate=March 9, 2018|work=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|publisher=[[newspapers.com]]|date=December 28, 1949}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Waagenaar|first1=Sam|title=The Pope's Jews|date=1974|publisher=Alcove Press|isbn=0856570265|page=172|url=http://collections.americanjewisharchives.org/ms/ms0603/ms0603.052.001.pdf}}</ref>
[[File:Gran Consiglio Fascismo.jpg|thumb|left|As a senior minister in the cabinet, Jung was also a member of the Grand Council of Fascism, pictured here in 1936.]]
[[File:Gran Consiglio Fascismo.jpg|thumb|left|As a senior minister in the cabinet, Jung was also a member of the Grand Council of Fascism, pictured here in 1936.]]
During an official visit by [[Hermann Göring]] to Italy, Mussolini assigned Jung to meet with the German minister, prompting David Schwartz of the ''Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle'' to write that "it must have been a lesson in tolerance".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Schwartz|first1=David|title=By the Way|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/49939060|accessdate=March 9, 2018|work=Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle|date=May 19, 1933}}{{paywall}}</ref>
During an official visit by [[Hermann Göring]] to Italy, Mussolini assigned Jung to meet with the German minister, prompting David Schwartz of the ''Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle'' to write that "it must have been a lesson in tolerance".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Schwartz|first1=David|title=By the Way|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/49939060|accessdate=March 9, 2018|work=Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle|date=May 19, 1933}}{{subscription required}}</ref>


In May 1933, he represented Italy to the [[United States]] during tariff discussions and was feted with an official dinner at the [[White House]] by [[President of the United States]] [[Franklin Roosevelt]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Guido Jung of Italy at White House|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/370321441|accessdate=March 9, 2018|work=Hartford Courant|agency=[[Associated Press]]|publisher=[[newspapers.com]]|date=May 3, 1933}}{{paywall}}</ref>
In May 1933, he represented Italy to the [[United States]] during tariff discussions and was feted with an official dinner at the [[White House]] by [[President of the United States]] [[Franklin Roosevelt]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Guido Jung of Italy at White House|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/370321441|accessdate=March 9, 2018|work=Hartford Courant|agency=[[Associated Press]]|publisher=[[newspapers.com]]|date=May 3, 1933}}{{subscription required}}</ref>


In a subsequent meeting with Mussolini, U.S. ambassador [[John W. Garrett]] reported that "he [Mussolini] was very gratified at the cordiality of Jung’s reception in America".<ref>{{cite web|title=The Ambassador in Italy (Garrett) to the Secretary of State|url=https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1933v03/d343|website=history.state.gov|publisher=[[U.S. Department of State]]|accessdate=March 10, 2018}}</ref>
In a subsequent meeting with Mussolini, U.S. ambassador [[John W. Garrett]] reported that "he [Mussolini] was very gratified at the cordiality of Jung’s reception in America".<ref>{{cite web|title=The Ambassador in Italy (Garrett) to the Secretary of State|url=https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1933v03/d343|website=history.state.gov|publisher=[[U.S. Department of State]]|accessdate=March 10, 2018}}</ref>


As minister, Jung helped establish the [[Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Lilli|first1=Manlio|title=L'Iri tra Mussolini e Beneduce, il suo "scienziato dell'economia"|url=http://www.istitutodipolitica.it/wordpress/2012/05/01/liri-tra-mussolini-e-beneduce-il-suo-%E2%80%9Cscienziato-delleconomia%E2%80%9D/|website=istitutodipolitica.it|publisher=Istituto di Politica|accessdate=March 10, 2018}}</ref> He was also the Italian delegate to the [[London Economic Conference]] and was credited in news reports with "keeping the conflicting elements of the parley from completely disrupting the conference".<ref>{{cite news|title=Italy's Peacemaker Helps Save Parley|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/229362439|accessdate=March 9, 2018|work=[[Akron Beacon Journal]]|publisher=[[newspapers.com]]|date=June 22, 1933}}{{paywall}}</ref>
As minister, Jung helped establish the [[Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Lilli|first1=Manlio|title=L'Iri tra Mussolini e Beneduce, il suo "scienziato dell'economia"|url=http://www.istitutodipolitica.it/wordpress/2012/05/01/liri-tra-mussolini-e-beneduce-il-suo-%E2%80%9Cscienziato-delleconomia%E2%80%9D/|website=istitutodipolitica.it|publisher=Istituto di Politica|accessdate=March 10, 2018}}{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> He was also the Italian delegate to the [[London Economic Conference]] and was credited in news reports with "keeping the conflicting elements of the parley from completely disrupting the conference".<ref>{{cite news|title=Italy's Peacemaker Helps Save Parley|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/229362439|accessdate=March 9, 2018|work=[[Akron Beacon Journal]]|publisher=[[newspapers.com]]|date=June 22, 1933}}{{subscription required}}</ref> During the same Conference, he signed an agreement, sponsored by Galeazzo Ciano and at the time kept secret to the world, with the minister of China, T.V. Soong, that concluded the long-lasting negotiations for the settlement of the Boxer Indemnity and the outstanding amount of the Skoda loan with Italy.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Coco |first1=Orazio |title=Sino-Italian relations told through the archive's papers of the Banca Italiana per la Cina (1919–1943) |journal=Journal of Modern Italian Studies |date=16 June 2020 |volume=25 |issue=3 |pages=11–14 |doi=10.1080/1354571x.2020.1741941|s2cid=221060187 }}</ref>
During the same Conference, he signed an agreement, sponsored by Galeazzo Ciano and at the time kept secret to the world, with the minister of China, T.V. Soong, that concluded the long lasting negotiations for the settlement of the Boxer Indemnity and the outstanding amount of the Skoda loan with Italy.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Coco |first1=Orazio |title=Sino-Italian relations told through the archive's papers of the Banca Italiana per la Cina (1919–1943) |journal=Journal of Modern Italian Studies |date=16 June 2020 |volume=25 |issue=3 |pages=11–14 |doi=10.1080/1354571x.2020.1741941|s2cid=221060187 }}</ref>


====Political views====
====Political views====
In a 1933 interview with the [[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]], Jung compared [[Nazism]] to Fascism by equating it to the difference between "an infant to a ten year-old boy".<ref name="jta1">{{cite news|title=Jung, Italian Envoy, Arrives to Confer with Roosevelt|url=https://www.jta.org/1933/05/03/archive/jung-italian-envoy-arrives-to-confer-with-roosevelt|accessdate=March 10, 2018|work=[[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]]|date=May 3, 1933}}</ref> The following year he is on record as referring to [[Adolf Hitler]] as a "blockhead" and a "blatherer".<ref name="book"/>
In a 1933 interview with the [[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]], Jung compared [[Nazism]] to Fascism by equating it to the difference between "an infant to a ten-year-old boy".<ref name="jta1">{{cite news|title=Jung, Italian Envoy, Arrives to Confer with Roosevelt|url=https://www.jta.org/1933/05/03/archive/jung-italian-envoy-arrives-to-confer-with-roosevelt|accessdate=March 10, 2018|work=[[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]]|date=May 3, 1933}}</ref> The following year he is on record as referring to [[Adolf Hitler]] as a "blockhead" and a "blatherer".<ref name="book"/>


While he declared there was no [[anti-semitism]] in Italy, Jung also dismissed the very existence of anti-semitism, explaining to [[Emil Ludwig]] his belief that it was a "doctrine upheld by those sub-Alpine peoples who could not write at the time Rome saw Caesar, Vergil, and August".<ref name="jta1"/><ref name="book">{{cite book|last1=Van Arkel|first1=Dik|title=The Drawing of the Mark of Cain: A Socio-historical Analysis of the Growth of Anti-Jewish Stereotypes|date=2009|publisher=Amsterdam University Press|isbn=978-9089640413|page=333|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a58GYjAzg0oC}}</ref>
While he declared there was no [[antisemitism]] in Italy, Jung also dismissed the very existence of antisemitism, explaining to [[Emil Ludwig]] his belief that it was a "doctrine upheld by those sub-Alpine peoples who could not write at the time Rome saw Caesar, Vergil, and August".<ref name="jta1"/><ref name="book">{{cite book|last1=Van Arkel|first1=Dik|title=The Drawing of the Mark of Cain: A Socio-historical Analysis of the Growth of Anti-Jewish Stereotypes|date=2009|publisher=Amsterdam University Press|isbn=978-9089640413|page=333|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a58GYjAzg0oC}}</ref>


===Later years===
===Later years===
After being released from the cabinet Jung, then aged 59, volunteered for military service in [[Ethiopia]] ultimately commanding 6,000 men.<ref name="inst"/><ref>{{cite book|last1=Zalampas|first1=Michael|title=Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich in American Magazines, 1923–1939|date=1989|publisher=[[University of Wisconsin Press|Popular Press]]|isbn=0879724625|page=112|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WrcA0sAqwgsC}}</ref> By this point, Jung had stopped adhering to Judaism. In 1935, he was received into the Roman Catholic faith.<ref name="uw"/>
After being released from the cabinet, Jung, then aged 59, volunteered for military service in [[Ethiopia]] ultimately commanding 6,000 men.<ref name="inst"/><ref>{{cite book|last1=Zalampas|first1=Michael|title=Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich in American Magazines, 1923–1939|date=1989|publisher=[[University of Wisconsin Press|Popular Press]]|isbn=0879724625|page=112|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WrcA0sAqwgsC}}</ref> By this point, Jung had stopped adhering to Judaism. In 1935, he was received into the Roman Catholic faith.<ref name="uw"/>


Nonetheless, in 1939, with the enactment of the [[Italian Racial Laws]], he was dismissed from military service. His personal appeals to Mussolini to grant him an exception went unheeded, despite supporting reports from the [[OVRA]] that described him as a disciplined and loyal Fascist.<ref name="franco"/>
Nonetheless, in 1939, with the enactment of the [[Italian Racial Laws]], he was dismissed from military service. His personal appeals to Mussolini to grant him an exception went unheeded, despite supporting reports from the [[OVRA]] that described him as a disciplined and loyal Fascist.<ref name="franco"/>


In February 1944, following the [[Armistice of Cassibile]], Jung was again given charge of the finance ministry.<ref name="jta">{{cite news|title=Marshal Badoglio Appoints Two Jews to His Cabinet; Breaks Anti-Jewish Tradition|url=https://www.jta.org/1943/11/18/archive/marshal-badoglio-appoints-two-jews-to-his-cabinet-breaks-anti-jewish-tradition|accessdate=March 9, 2018|work=[[Jewish Telegraph Agency]]|date=November 18, 1943}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Premier Badoglio Revamps Cabinet, Adds Ministers|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/374270533|accessdate=March 9, 2018|work=[[Baltimore Sun]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|publisher=[[newspapers.com]]|date=February 18, 1944}}{{paywall}}</ref>
In February 1944, following the [[Armistice of Cassibile]], Jung was again given charge of the finance ministry.<ref name="jta">{{cite news|title=Marshal Badoglio Appoints Two Jews to His Cabinet; Breaks Anti-Jewish Tradition|url=https://www.jta.org/1943/11/18/archive/marshal-badoglio-appoints-two-jews-to-his-cabinet-breaks-anti-jewish-tradition|accessdate=March 9, 2018|work=[[Jewish Telegraph Agency]]|date=November 18, 1943}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Premier Badoglio Revamps Cabinet, Adds Ministers|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/374270533|accessdate=March 9, 2018|work=[[Baltimore Sun]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|publisher=[[newspapers.com]]|date=February 18, 1944}}{{subscription required}}</ref>


The appointment of Jung met with concern from the United States, with the [[U.S. Army]]'s Psychological Warfare Branch charging that Jung had deep Fascist roots that significantly predated his earlier service as finance minister, possibly extending to the [[March on Rome]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Domenico|first1=Roy|title=Italian Fascists on Trial, 1943–1948|date=1991|publisher=University of North Carolina Press|page=16}}</ref>
The appointment of Jung met with concern from the United States, with the [[U.S. Army]]'s Psychological Warfare Branch charging that Jung had deep Fascist roots that significantly predated his earlier service as finance minister, possibly extending to the [[March on Rome]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Domenico|first1=Roy|title=Italian Fascists on Trial, 1943–1948|date=1991|publisher=University of North Carolina Press|page=16}}</ref>


Jung's second stint as minister was short-lived and he was dismissed after just three months. At his request, he was restored to his military rank and assigned, first, to the 184th Paratroopers Artillery Regiment "Nembo" of the [[184th Paratroopers Division "Nembo"]] in the [[Italian Co-belligerent Army]], and then to the [[Combat Group "Folgore"]].<ref name="franco"/> During his service in Africa, and his later service in Europe, he would receive a total of three additional Silver Military Medals of Valor.<ref name="franco"/>
Jung's second stint as minister was short-lived and he was dismissed after just three months. At his request, he was restored to his military rank and assigned, first, to the 184th Paratroopers Artillery Regiment "Nembo" of the [[184th Infantry Division "Nembo"]] in the [[Italian Co-belligerent Army]], and then to the [[Combat Group "Folgore"]].<ref name="franco"/> During his service in Africa, and his later service in Europe, he would receive a total of three additional Silver Military Medals of Valor.<ref name="franco"/>


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
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{{s-bef|before=Antonio Mosconi}}
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{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Italian Ministers of Economy and Finances|Minister of Finance]]<br />1932–1935}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Italian Ministers of Economy and Finances|Minister of Finance]]<br />1932–1935}}
{{s-aft|after=Paolo Ignazio Maria Thaon di Revel}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Paolo Ignazio Maria Thaon di Revel]]}}
{{s-bef|before=Domenico Bartolini}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Domenico Bartolini]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Italian Ministers of Economy and Finances|Minister of Finance]]<br />1944}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Italian Ministers of Economy and Finances|Minister of Finance]]<br />1944}}
{{s-aft|after=Quinto Quintieri}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Quinto Quintieri]]}}
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[[Category:Jewish fascists]]
[[Category:Jewish fascists]]
[[Category:Politicians from Palermo]]
[[Category:Politicians from Palermo]]
[[Category:Jewish collaborators with Nazi Germany]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Italy)]]

Latest revision as of 17:57, 5 November 2024

Cavaliere
Guido Jung
Consigliere of Fascism
In office
July 1932 – January 1935
Duce of FascismBenito Mussolini
Italian Minister of Finance
In office
July 1932 – January 1935
MonarchVictor Emmanuel III
Prime MinisterBenito Mussolini
Preceded byAntonio Mosconi
Succeeded byPaolo Ignazio Maria Thaon di Revel
In office
February 1944 – April 1944
MonarchVictor Emmanuel III
Prime MinisterPietro Badoglio
Preceded byDomenico Bartolini
Succeeded byQuinto Quintieri
Personal details
Born(1876-02-02)2 February 1876
Palermo, Palermo, Sicily
Died25 December 1949(1949-12-25) (aged 73)
Sicily[1]
NationalityItalian
Political partyNational Fascist Party[2]
OccupationMerchant, politician
Civilian awards Cavaliere dell'Ordine della Corona d'Italia
Military service
Allegiance Italy
Branch/serviceRoyal Italian Army
Years of service1914–1917, 1935–1939, 1944–1945
RankLieutenant Colonel
Military awards Medaglia d'Argento al Valore Militare

Guido Jung (2 February 1876 – 25 December 1949) was a successful Jewish-born Italian banker and merchant from Sicily.

He was a member of the Grand Council of Fascism and served as Italian Minister of Finance from 1932-35 under Benito Mussolini. Jung was an important player in international finance during the interwar period, leading Italian negotiations with the United States over tariff questions, heading Italo-German economic talks with Hermann Göring, and representing Italy at the London Economic Conference during which he was heralded in press reports for his diplomatic tact.

As Italy's alliance with Germany grew stronger, Jung was ultimately sidelined by Mussolini due to his Jewish heritage, despite reports from the Organization for Vigilance and Repression of Anti-Fascism that described him as a disciplined and loyal fascist. After the surrender of Italy, Jung briefly served as finance minister a second time – in 1944 – under Pietro Badoglio but was dismissed after three months following allegations concerning the extent and depth of his roots in the National Fascist Party. Though a fanatical fascist, Jung drew a sharp distinction between fascism and Nazism, once comparing the Nazi Party to a baby and later reportedly calling Adolf Hitler a "blockhead".

An artillery officer in the Italian Army during both world wars, Jung commanded troops in both Europe and Africa. For various acts of bravery in combat, he was decorated with the Silver Medal of Military Valor on four separate occasions. He was created a knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy by Victor Emmanuel III.

Early life

[edit]

Jung was born in Sicily to a wealthy, Orthodox Jewish merchant family who had emigrated from Germany.[3][4][5] The Palazzo Jung on via Lincoln in Palermo had belonged to the family. As a young man, he undertook a business apprenticeship in London.[6]

Career

[edit]

Private sector and military service

[edit]

Jung took over the family business of fruit importing and ran it to continued commercial success.[3] He also served on the board of directors of the Bank of Palermo, in recognition of which he was, in 1906, invested into the Order of the Crown of Italy at the degree of Cavaliere.[3]

During World War I, Jung served in the Royal Italian Army's 25th Artillery Regiment, rising to the rank of captain and being decorated with the Bronze Medal of Military Valor which was, on application of Jung's commander, subsequently converted to the Silver Medal of Military Valor.[3][6]

Minister of Finance (1932 to 1935)

[edit]

Jung, who in 1922 had served as financial attache at the Italian embassy in Washington, D.C., was elevated to the Grand Council of Fascism in the summer of 1932 by virtue of his appointment as Minister of Finance; the senior ministers of the government were also de facto members of the Grand Council.[7][3][1]

Prime Minister Benito Mussolini reasoned at the time that "a Jew should be at the head of finance".[1][8]

As a senior minister in the cabinet, Jung was also a member of the Grand Council of Fascism, pictured here in 1936.

During an official visit by Hermann Göring to Italy, Mussolini assigned Jung to meet with the German minister, prompting David Schwartz of the Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle to write that "it must have been a lesson in tolerance".[9]

In May 1933, he represented Italy to the United States during tariff discussions and was feted with an official dinner at the White House by President of the United States Franklin Roosevelt.[10]

In a subsequent meeting with Mussolini, U.S. ambassador John W. Garrett reported that "he [Mussolini] was very gratified at the cordiality of Jung’s reception in America".[11]

As minister, Jung helped establish the Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale.[12] He was also the Italian delegate to the London Economic Conference and was credited in news reports with "keeping the conflicting elements of the parley from completely disrupting the conference".[13] During the same Conference, he signed an agreement, sponsored by Galeazzo Ciano and at the time kept secret to the world, with the minister of China, T.V. Soong, that concluded the long-lasting negotiations for the settlement of the Boxer Indemnity and the outstanding amount of the Skoda loan with Italy.[14]

Political views

[edit]

In a 1933 interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Jung compared Nazism to Fascism by equating it to the difference between "an infant to a ten-year-old boy".[5] The following year he is on record as referring to Adolf Hitler as a "blockhead" and a "blatherer".[15]

While he declared there was no antisemitism in Italy, Jung also dismissed the very existence of antisemitism, explaining to Emil Ludwig his belief that it was a "doctrine upheld by those sub-Alpine peoples who could not write at the time Rome saw Caesar, Vergil, and August".[5][15]

Later years

[edit]

After being released from the cabinet, Jung, then aged 59, volunteered for military service in Ethiopia ultimately commanding 6,000 men.[3][16] By this point, Jung had stopped adhering to Judaism. In 1935, he was received into the Roman Catholic faith.[4]

Nonetheless, in 1939, with the enactment of the Italian Racial Laws, he was dismissed from military service. His personal appeals to Mussolini to grant him an exception went unheeded, despite supporting reports from the OVRA that described him as a disciplined and loyal Fascist.[6]

In February 1944, following the Armistice of Cassibile, Jung was again given charge of the finance ministry.[2][17]

The appointment of Jung met with concern from the United States, with the U.S. Army's Psychological Warfare Branch charging that Jung had deep Fascist roots that significantly predated his earlier service as finance minister, possibly extending to the March on Rome.[18]

Jung's second stint as minister was short-lived and he was dismissed after just three months. At his request, he was restored to his military rank and assigned, first, to the 184th Paratroopers Artillery Regiment "Nembo" of the 184th Infantry Division "Nembo" in the Italian Co-belligerent Army, and then to the Combat Group "Folgore".[6] During his service in Africa, and his later service in Europe, he would receive a total of three additional Silver Military Medals of Valor.[6]

Personal life

[edit]

At least two of Jung's brothers also served in the Royal Italian Army during World War I.[3] Guido Jung died in Sicily.[6]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Guido Jung Dies in Sicily". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. newspapers.com. Associated Press. 28 December 1949. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Marshal Badoglio Appoints Two Jews to His Cabinet; Breaks Anti-Jewish Tradition". Jewish Telegraph Agency. 18 November 1943. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Giuntini, Elisa. "Guido Jung, Imprenditore". isspe.it (in Sicilian). Sicilian Institute for the Study of Politics and Economics. Archived from the original on 10 March 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  4. ^ a b Sarfatti, Michele (2006). The Jews in Mussolini's Italy: From Equality to Persecution. University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 0299217345.
  5. ^ a b c "Jung, Italian Envoy, Arrives to Confer with Roosevelt". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 3 May 1933. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Raspagliesi, Roberta (2012). Guido Jung. Imprenditore ebreo e ministro fascista: Imprenditore ebreo e ministro fascista. FrancoAngeli. pp. 102, 236–44. ISBN 978-8856863666.
  7. ^ Register of the Department of State. U.S. Department of State. 1922. p. 249.
  8. ^ Waagenaar, Sam (1974). The Pope's Jews (PDF). Alcove Press. p. 172. ISBN 0856570265.
  9. ^ Schwartz, David (19 May 1933). "By the Way". Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 9 March 2018.(subscription required)
  10. ^ "Guido Jung of Italy at White House". Hartford Courant. newspapers.com. Associated Press. 3 May 1933. Retrieved 9 March 2018.(subscription required)
  11. ^ "The Ambassador in Italy (Garrett) to the Secretary of State". history.state.gov. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  12. ^ Lilli, Manlio. "L'Iri tra Mussolini e Beneduce, il suo "scienziato dell'economia"". istitutodipolitica.it. Istituto di Politica. Retrieved 10 March 2018.[permanent dead link‍]
  13. ^ "Italy's Peacemaker Helps Save Parley". Akron Beacon Journal. newspapers.com. 22 June 1933. Retrieved 9 March 2018.(subscription required)
  14. ^ Coco, Orazio (16 June 2020). "Sino-Italian relations told through the archive's papers of the Banca Italiana per la Cina (1919–1943)". Journal of Modern Italian Studies. 25 (3): 11–14. doi:10.1080/1354571x.2020.1741941. S2CID 221060187.
  15. ^ a b Van Arkel, Dik (2009). The Drawing of the Mark of Cain: A Socio-historical Analysis of the Growth of Anti-Jewish Stereotypes. Amsterdam University Press. p. 333. ISBN 978-9089640413.
  16. ^ Zalampas, Michael (1989). Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich in American Magazines, 1923–1939. Popular Press. p. 112. ISBN 0879724625.
  17. ^ "Premier Badoglio Revamps Cabinet, Adds Ministers". Baltimore Sun. newspapers.com. Associated Press. 18 February 1944. Retrieved 9 March 2018.(subscription required)
  18. ^ Domenico, Roy (1991). Italian Fascists on Trial, 1943–1948. University of North Carolina Press. p. 16.
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Finance
1932–1935 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Finance
1944 		Succeeded by
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