Sicilian Mafia during the Fascist regime
During the Fascist regime in Italy, the Sicilian Mafia was less powerful as Mussolini’s government fought it hard. In 1924, Mussolini ordered Cesare Mori to destroy the Mafia in Sicily and made him prefect of Palermo in 1925. Mori was given broad powers to wipe out the organization.
Mori used tough methods to force the Mafia to surrender. He led raids, arrested thousands, and used tactics like taking suspects’ families as hostages and seizing property. Confessions were often gained through pressure. By 1928 more than 11,000 people were arrested, more than 1,200 were convicted, and many others were moved or exiled without trial. Mori wanted the state to act directly and visibly, showing the people that the government could overpower the Mafia. He also uncovered ties between the Mafia and some government and party figures.
In 1929 Mussolini recalled Mori. The campaign did not completely wipe out the Mafia, but it reduced its power and violence. Some Mafia members fled to the United States, and a few later became powerful leaders there, such as Carlo Gambino and Joseph Bonanno.
After 1943, when Allied forces invaded Sicily (Operation Husky), chaos returned. Crime and banditry rose again and prisons saw many escapes. The Allied authorities had to build a new order, and many local mayors were replaced. Some former Mafia members used the new situation to regain influence.
Earlier, a 1926 law allowed people to denounce someone as a member of a criminal organization and to detain or relocate them without trial. This law helped Mori’s actions against the Mafia, though it was also used against political opponents and others.
Overall, Mussolini’s crackdown weakened the Mafia for a time, but it did not completely destroy it, and the organization continued to influence Sicily in different ways in the years that followed.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 18:33 (CET).