Administrative Policies
From 1923, the Italians embarked on a gradual forced Italianization campaign of the islands. The first Governor General, Mario Lago, delegated land for Italian settlers and encouraged intermarriage with local Greeks. In 1929, scholarships at the University of Pisa for Dodecanesian students were promoted to disseminate Italian culture and language among the local professional class. The Orthodox rite was suppressed and only Catholic ceremonies were recognized. The Italian authorities also tried to limit the power of the Greek church without success by trying to set up an autonomous Dodecanesian church. Fascist youth organizations such as Opera Nazionale Balilla were introduced on the islands, and the Italianization of names was encouraged by the Italian authorities. Local Greek islanders did not receive a full Italian citizenship and were not required to serve in the Italian armed forces.
Under the governorship of Cesare Maria De Vecchi (1936 to 1940), the Italianization efforts intensified. The Italian language became compulsory in education and the public life, with Greek being only an optional subject in schools. The fascist municipality (comune) system was set up to the islands in 1937, with newly appointed podestàs. in 1938, Italian Racial Laws were introduced to the islands along with a series of decrees equalizing local legislation with Italian law.
Read more about this topic: Italian Aegean Islands
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