Murray State University
Mussolini's Shadow War: The Struggle Against Organized Crime in Fascist Italy
Institution
Murray State University
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
David Pizzo; Paul Lucko
Abstract
As a dual criminal justice and history major, I constantly seek to deepen my understanding of historical events by looking at them through the lens of criminal justice. In doing so, I am often able to garner a deeper understanding of the past as well as contemporary criminal justice issues. The recent controversy related to the National Defense Authorization Act and its provision that grants “the authority for the Armed Forces of the United States to detain covered persons (as defined in subsection (b)) pending disposition under the law of war” is not the first controversial measure a nation has implemented in the name of national security. What impact these measures have on a nation’s population and whether they actually achieve their intended goals was worth consideration. To evaluate this, I decided to research the methods used by another nation to protect itself from dangerous internal elements, as well as, what effect these methods had on the citizenry. I chose to analyze Benito Mussolini’s Italy and its combat against organized crime in order to illuminate the issue.
Mussolini's Shadow War: The Struggle Against Organized Crime in Fascist Italy
As a dual criminal justice and history major, I constantly seek to deepen my understanding of historical events by looking at them through the lens of criminal justice. In doing so, I am often able to garner a deeper understanding of the past as well as contemporary criminal justice issues. The recent controversy related to the National Defense Authorization Act and its provision that grants “the authority for the Armed Forces of the United States to detain covered persons (as defined in subsection (b)) pending disposition under the law of war” is not the first controversial measure a nation has implemented in the name of national security. What impact these measures have on a nation’s population and whether they actually achieve their intended goals was worth consideration. To evaluate this, I decided to research the methods used by another nation to protect itself from dangerous internal elements, as well as, what effect these methods had on the citizenry. I chose to analyze Benito Mussolini’s Italy and its combat against organized crime in order to illuminate the issue.