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Galeazzo Ciano

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Politician

The Resume

    (March 18, 1903-January 11, 1944)
    Born in Livorno, Italy
    Birth name was Gian Galeazzo Ciano
    2nd Count of Cortellazzo and Buccari
    Married Benito Mussolini's daughter Edda (April 24, 1930)
    Consul to Shanghai, China (1930-35)
    Minister of Press and Propaganda (1935-36)
    Foreign Minister (1936-43)
    Ambassador to the Vatican (1943)

Why he might be annoying:

    He was a vain and frivolous playboy.
    He inspired a Serbian proverb, 'Living like Count Ciano,' to describe a flamboyant and luxurious lifestyle.
    His government position was based mainly on being Il Duce's son-in-law.
    He knew the Italian army was hopelessly unprepared for war, but followed along as Mussolini committed Italy to joining WWII.
    He helped plan the invasions of Albania (which succeeded only because the opposition had essentially no army) and Greece (which went so disastrously that the Germans had to bail out Italy).
    His diaries contained embarrassing revelations about the leaders of Italy and Germany.
    His most memorable comment -- 'Victory has a hundred fathers, but defeat is an orphan' -- is widely misattributed to John F. Kennedy, who quoted it as 'an old saying' after the Bay of Pigs fiasco.

Why he might not be annoying:

    In private, he tried to convince Mussolini to remain neutral during World War II.
    After the Allied landings in Sicily, he joined the majority of the Fascist Grand Council that voted to remove Mussolini from power (July 24, 1943).
    After Germany occupied northern Italy and installed Mussolini as a figurehead ruler, Ciano was arrested for treason and sentenced to death (as was anyone who had voted for Mussolini's ouster that the Germans could get their hands on).
    Edda, who had escaped to Switzerland with Ciano's diaries, tried to use them as a bargaining chip for his life.
    Reportedly, Heinrich Himmler was interested in cutting a deal, but was overruled by Hitler.
    Mussolini was reportedly vacillating over the execution until the last minute, ultimately deciding he would rather piss off his daughter than look weak in front of Hitler.
    His diaries were used by the prosecutors at the Nuremburg War Crimes Trial, particularly in the prosecution of Jocahim von Ribbentrop.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 20 Votes: 90.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 5 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 34 Votes: 64.71% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 16 Votes: 68.75% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 10 Votes: 90.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 67 Votes: 55.22% Annoying