Alessandro Pavolini
Alessandro Pavolini is the party secretary of the National Fascist Party.
Cultured, ambitious and ruthless, Alessandro Pavolini quickly climbed the ranks of the National Fascist Party under the wing of Galeazzo Ciano, whom he had met during the Ethiopian War and quickly made friends with. Backed by Benito Mussolini's presumptive heir, Pavolini was appointed a Hierarch of the Grand Council of Fascism, as well as minister of Popular Culture - the main fascist propaganda institution. There, he showed great skill at spreading the regime-sponsored truth by monopolizing the information space and suppressing any dissenting voice: for his mastery of propaganda, Pavolini came to be known as "the Duce's mouth".
In 1943, with the Second World War raging, Ettore Muti was appointed to the position of general secretary to the National Fascist Party. With this move, Mussolini hoped to bolster the regime's popularity thanks to Muti's fame as a daredevil and media darling, but his tenure was brief and tormented owing to his radical stance on mass mobilization and a series of reckless political moves. After only a few months, Muti resigned, and Ciano lobbied to have Pavolini appointed in his place: his spotless record as minister of propaganda, as well as his uncompromising attitude and friendly relationships with several German diplomats, made the appointment a done deal from the start.
Ever since then, Alessandro Pavolini has fully entrenched in his role, having served as general secretary of the National Fascist Party without interruption for close to two decades. During this tenure, his influence has only grown: from his office in Palazzo Venezia, Pavolini spins a web of contacts and influence that spans the whole Empire: from party officials to colonial bureaucrats, from businessmen to high-ranking clergimen in the Vatican Halls, there are many who owe favors and allegiance to the general secretariat.
In the years after the war, the bond between Alessandro Pavolini and Galeazzo Ciano proved extremely strong. As party secretary and presumptive heir to Mussolini, their combined influence was unmatched and the two held de facto absolute authority in Rome: when Benito Mussolini died in 1953, Pavolini was among the staunchest advocates for Ciano's ascension to the mantle of Duce, repaying the favors he had received from his friend with full support from the party leadership.
The following years, however, would slowly erode the relationship between the new Duce and the party secretary. Ciano's inability to heal the malaise that was slowly spreading throughout Italy - and, one might say, his unwillingness to even admit its existence - angered Pavolini, who saw this as a sign of weakness: over the years, anger turned into rage, and rage into rivalry. As a result, the National Fascist Party effectively split between those who toed Ciano's line and those who covertly supported Pavolini: with neither side able to prevail over the years, the rivalry only added to Italy's political dysfunctionality.
The outbreak of the Italo-Turkish war provided the opportunity for Alessandro Pavolini to instigate a revolt against Ciano within the National Fascist Party, accusing the Duce of having grown complacent with the Triumvirate, and therefore exposed Italy to betrayal from a supposed ally. As a result, Ciano was compelled to summon the Grand Council of Fascism in a grand congress in the city of Verona: there, he hoped to deal with the internal opposition and secure his rule once again. However, Pavolini had gained the support of many high-ranking Hierarchs of the Grand Council with promises of strengthening fascism against its enemies both within and without: among them were Italo Balbo, Ettore Muti and Niccolò Giani, whose fame and influence were enough to put the Duce at risk of losing the Council's majority.