Italian Social Movement

The Italian Social Movement (MSI), and later the Italian Social Movement–National Right (Italian: Movimento Sociale Italiano–Destra Nazionale, MSI–DN), was a neo-fascist and post-fascist political party in Italy. Formed in 1946 by supporters of former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, and especially of the experience of the Italian Social Republic, the party became the fourth largest party in Italy by the early 1960s. The MSI gave informal local and eventually national support to the Christian Democrats from the late 1940s and through the 1950s. In the early 1960s, the party was pushed to the sidelines of Italian politics, and only gradually started to gain some political recognition in the 1980s.

The party saw internal competition between its moderate and radical factions. The radicals led the party in its formative years under Giorgio Almirante, while the moderates gained control in the 1950s and 1960s. Almirante's return as leader in 1969 was characheterised by a broadening policy. Finally, in 1987, the reins of the party were taken by Gianfranco Fini, under whom it underwent significant changes. The party was eventually transformed into National Alliance (AN) in 1995. In that occasion just a small minority disagreed with the new course and formed Tricolour Flame instead.