Jump to content

Guido Jung: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
c/e
c/e
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{moresources}}

{{Infobox officeholder
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = ''Cavaliere''
| honorific_prefix = ''Cavaliere''
| name = Guido Jung
| name = Guido Jung
| native_name = <!--The person's name in their own language, if different.-->
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| native_name_lang = <!--ISO 639-1 code, e.g., "fr" for French. If more than one, use {{lang}} in |native_name= instead.-->
| honorific_suffix =
| honorific_suffix =
| image = File:GuidoJung int.jpg
| image = File:GuidoJung int.jpg
| image_size =
| image_size =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1876|02|02}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1876|02|02}}
| birth_place = [[Palermo]], [[Palermo]], [[Sicily]]
| birth_place = [[Palermo]], [[Palermo]], [[Sicily]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1949|12|25|1876|02|02}} <ref name="stl"/>
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1949|12|25|1876|02|02}} <ref name="stl"/>
| death_place = [[Sicily]]
| death_place = [[Sicily]]
| nationality = Italian
| nationality = Italian
| occupation = merchant, politician
| occupation = Merchant, politician
| image_upright =
| image_upright =
| smallimage = <!--If this is specified, "image" should not be.-->
| smallimage = <!--If this is specified, "image" should not be.-->
| alt =
| alt =
| caption =
| caption =
| order =
| order =
| office3 = Minister of Finance of the Kingdom of Italy
| office3 = Minister of Finance of the Kingdom of Italy
| office = Consigliere of Fascism
| office = Consigliere of Fascism
| term_start = July 1932
| term_start = July 1932
| term_end = January 1935
| term_end = January 1935
| monarch2 =
| monarch2 =
|2blankname2 = Duce of Fascism
|2blankname2 = Duce of Fascism
|2namedata2 = [[Benito Mussolini]]
|2namedata2 = [[Benito Mussolini]]
| term_start3 = July 1932
| term_start3 = July 1932
| term_end3 = January 1935
| term_end3 = January 1935
| alongside = <!--For two or more people serving in the same position from the same district. (e.g. United States Senators.)-->
| alongside = <!--For two or more people serving in the same position from the same district. (e.g. United States Senators.)-->
| monarch3 = [[Victor Emmanuel III of Italy|Victor Emmanuel III]]
| monarch3 = [[Victor Emmanuel III of Italy|Victor Emmanuel III]]
| president =
| president =
| governor_general =
| governor_general =
| primeminister3 = [[Benito Mussolini]]
| primeminister3= [[Benito Mussolini]]
| taoiseach =
| party = [[National Fascist Party]]<ref name="jta"/>
| chancellor =
| predecessor3 = Antonio Mosconi
| governor =
| successor3 = Paolo Ignazio Maria Thaon di Revel
| vicepresident =
| prior_term =
⚫
| order2 = <!--Can be repeated up to 16 times by changing the number-->
| viceprimeminister =
⚫
| office2 = <!--Can be repeated up to 16 times by changing the number-->
| deputy =
| lieutenant =
| term_start4 = February 1944
| succeeding =
| term_end4 = April 1944
⚫
| alongside2 = <!--Can be repeated up to 16 times by changing the number-->
| parliamentarygroup =
⚫
| monarch4 = [[Victor Emmanuel III of Italy|Victor Emmanuel III]]
| constituency =
⚫
| president2 = <!--Can be repeated up to 16 times by changing the number-->
| majority =
| party = [[National Fascist Party]]<ref name="jta"/>
| predecessor3 = Antonio Mosconi
| successor3 = Paolo Ignazio Maria Thaon di Revel
| prior_term =
⚫
| order2 = <!--Can be repeated up to 16 times by changing the number-->
⚫
| office2 = <!--Can be repeated up to 16 times by changing the number-->
| term_start4 = February 1944
| term_end4 = April 1944
⚫
| alongside2 = <!--Can be repeated up to 16 times by changing the number-->
⚫
| monarch4 = [[Victor Emmanuel III of Italy|Victor Emmanuel III]]
⚫
| president2 = <!--Can be repeated up to 16 times by changing the number-->
| 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]]
| chancellor2 = <!--Can be repeated up to 16 times by changing the number-->
| taoiseach2 = <!--Can be repeated up to 16 times by changing the number-->
| governor2 = <!--Can be repeated up to 16 times by changing the number-->
| vicepresident2 = <!--Can be repeated up to 16 times by changing the number-->
| viceprimeminister2 = <!--Can be repeated up to 16 times by changing the number-->
| deputy2 = <!--Can be repeated up to 16 times by changing the number-->
| lieutenant2 = <!--Can be repeated up to 16 times by changing the number-->
| succeeding2 = <!--Can be repeated up to 16 times by changing the number-->
| 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]]''
| parliamentarygroup2= <!--Can be repeated up to 16 times by changing the number-->
| constituency2 = <!--Can be repeated up to 16 times by changing the number-->
| majority2 = <!--Can be repeated up to 16 times by changing the number-->
| prior_term2 = <!--Can be repeated up to 16 times by changing the number-->
⚫
|awards = [[File:Cavaliere OCI BAR.svg|25px]] ''[[Order of the Crown of Italy|Cavaliere dell'Ordine della Corona d'Italia]]''
<!--Military service-->
| nickname =
| 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]]
| branch = Royal Italian Army
| branch = Royal Italian Army
| serviceyears = 1914–1917, 1935–1939, 1944–1945
| serviceyears = 1914–1917, 1935–1939, 1944–1945
| rank = [[Lieutenant Colonel]]
| rank = [[Lieutenant Colonel]]
⚫
| mawards = [[File:Valor militare silver medal BAR.svg|25px]] ''[[Medaglia d'Argento al Valore Militare]]''}}
| unit =
| commands =
| battles =
⚫
| mawards = [[File:Valor militare silver medal BAR.svg|25px]] ''[[Medaglia d'Argento al Valore Militare]]''
| military_blank1 =
| military_data1 =
| military_blank2 =
| military_data2 =
| military_blank3 =
| military_data3 =
| military_blank4 =
| military_data4 =
| military_blank5 =
| military_data5 =
<!--Embedded templates / Footnotes-->
| module =
| module2 =
| module3 =
| module4 =
| module5 =
| footnotes =
}}


'''Guido Jung''' (February 2, 1876 – December 25, 1949) was a successful [[Italian Jews|Jewish-Italian]] banker and merchant from [[Sicily]] who was a member of the [[Grand Council of Fascism]] and served as [[Italian Minister of Finance]] from 1932 to 1935 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.
'''Guido Jung''' (February 2, 1876 – December 25, 1949) was a successful [[Italian Jews|Jewish-born Italian]] banker and merchant from [[Sicily]] who was a member of the [[Grand Council of Fascism]] and served as [[Italian Minister of Finance]] from 1932 to 1935 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".
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".
Line 111: Line 67:


==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}}</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=8856863669|pages=102, 236–244}}</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=8856863669|pages=102, 236–44}}</ref>


===Minister of Finance (1932 to 1935)===
===Minister of Finance (1932 to 1935)===
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.<ref name="reg">{{cite book|title=Register of the Department of State|date=1922|publisher=U.S. Department of State|page=249|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gg8Be9KbvFMC}}</ref><ref name="inst"/><ref name="stl"/> 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>
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.<ref name="reg">{{cite book|title=Register of the Department of State|date=1922|publisher=U.S. Department of State|page=249|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gg8Be9KbvFMC}}</ref><ref name="inst"/><ref name="stl"/>
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> In May 1933 Jung 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 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>
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> In May 1933 Jung 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 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>
Line 125: Line 82:


====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"/> 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=908964041X|page=333|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a58GYjAzg0oC}}</ref>
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 [[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=908964041X|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 actively adhering to Judaism and, in 1935 underwent baptism.<ref name="uw"/> Nevertheless, 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"/>
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 actively adhering to Judaism and, in 1935 underwent baptism.<ref name="uw"/> Nevertheless, 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> 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>
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>
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 Division Nembo|184th Artillery Regiment Nembo]] in the [[Italian Co-belligerent Army]], and then to the [[Folgore Mechanized Division]].<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 Division Nembo|184th Artillery Regiment Nembo]] in the [[Italian Co-belligerent Army]], and then to the [[Folgore Mechanized Division]].<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"/>

Revision as of 02:40, 19 April 2018

Cavaliere
Guido Jung
Consigliere of Fascism
In office
July 1932 – January 1935
Duce of FascismBenito Mussolini
Minister of Finance of the Kingdom of Italy
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)February 2, 1876
Palermo, Palermo, Sicily
DiedDecember 25, 1949(1949-12-25) (aged 73) [1]
Sicily
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 (February 2, 1876 – December 25, 1949) was a successful Jewish-born Italian banker and merchant from Sicily who was a member of the Grand Council of Fascism and served as Italian Minister of Finance from 1932 to 1935 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".

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

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

Career

Private sector and military service

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)

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 Jung 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]

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".[5] The following year he is on record as referring to Adolf Hitler as a "blockhead" and a "blatherer".[14]

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][14]

Later years

After being released from the cabinet Jung, then aged 59, volunteered for military service in Ethiopia ultimately commanding 6,000 men.[3][15] By this point, Jung had stopped actively adhering to Judaism and, in 1935 underwent baptism.[4] Nevertheless, 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][16]

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.[17]

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 Artillery Regiment Nembo in the Italian Co-belligerent Army, and then to the Folgore Mechanized Division.[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

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

  1. ^ a b c "Guido Jung Dies in Sicily". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. newspapers.com. Associated Press. December 28, 1949. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Marshal Badoglio Appoints Two Jews to His Cabinet; Breaks Anti-Jewish Tradition". Jewish Telegraph Agency. November 18, 1943. Retrieved March 9, 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. Retrieved March 9, 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. May 3, 1933. Retrieved March 10, 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 8856863669.
  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 (May 19, 1933). "By the Way". Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved March 9, 2018.(subscription required)
  10. ^ "Guido Jung of Italy at White House". Hartford Courant. newspapers.com. Associated Press. May 3, 1933. Retrieved March 9, 2018.(subscription required)
  11. ^ "The Ambassador in Italy (Garrett) to the Secretary of State". history.state.gov. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  12. ^ Lilli, Manlio. "L'Iri tra Mussolini e Beneduce, il suo "scienziato dell'economia"". istitutodipolitica.it. Istituto di Politica. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  13. ^ "Italy's Peacemaker Helps Save Parley". Akron Beacon Journal. newspapers.com. June 22, 1933. Retrieved March 9, 2018.(subscription required)
  14. ^ 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 908964041X.
  15. ^ Zalampas, Michael (1989). Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich in American Magazines, 1923–1939. Popular Press. p. 112. ISBN 0879724625.
  16. ^ "Premier Badoglio Revamps Cabinet, Adds Ministers". Baltimore Sun. newspapers.com. Associated Press. February 18, 1944. Retrieved March 9, 2018.(subscription required)
  17. ^ Domenico, Roy (1991). Italian Fascists on Trial, 1943–1948. University of North Carolina Press. p. 16.
Political offices
Preceded by
Antonio Mosconi
 Minister of Finance
1932–1935 		Succeeded by
Paolo Ignazio Maria Thaon di Revel
Preceded by
Domenico Bartolini
 Minister of Finance
1944 		Succeeded by
Quinto Quintieri
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Guido_Jung&oldid=837159947"