National Youth (Italy)

The National Youth (Italian: Gioventù Italiana) refers to a series of youth organizations established during the Fascist regime in Italy. These organizations aimed to indoctrinate young people with Fascist ideology and prepare them for service to the nation.

The primary organization, Opera Nazionale Balilla (ONB), was founded in 1926 and encompassed various age groups. Boys and girls were separated into distinct sections with tailored activities. The ONB included the Balilla (for boys aged 8-14), the Piccole Italiane (Little Italian Girls, for girls aged 8-14), the Avanguardisti (for boys aged 14-18), and the Giovani Italiane (Young Italian Girls, for girls aged 14-18). The name "Balilla" honored Giovanni Battista Perasso, a Genoese boy who, according to tradition, initiated the revolt against Austrian occupiers in 1746.

Activities within the Opera Nazionale Balilla and subsequent related organizations involved physical training, paramilitary exercises (for boys), ideological instruction, and civic education. The goal was to mold physically strong, loyal, and obedient citizens committed to Fascist principles. The curriculum emphasized nationalism, militarism, and the cult of personality around Benito Mussolini.

In 1937, the ONB was absorbed into a larger organization called the Gioventù Italiana del Littorio (GIL) (Youth of the Lictor). The GIL further streamlined the integration of youth into the Fascist system, encompassing all young Italians aged 8 to 21. The GIL included pre-military training for older boys and prepared girls for their future roles as mothers and homemakers, adhering to Fascist ideals of gender roles. The GIL controlled nearly all aspects of young people's lives, from education and recreation to sports and social activities. The "Lictor" in the name referred to the fasces, the bundle of rods and an axe that was an ancient Roman symbol of authority and adopted by the Fascist party.

Following the collapse of the Fascist regime in 1943, the Gioventù Italiana del Littorio was dissolved.