During Fascism
In 1922 Angelo Sraffa was assaulted by a group of students. The group responsible for the act put out an anonymous flyer denouncing the “misdeeds of Angelo Sraffa, despot of Bocconi University.” In addition, the magazine Popolo d’Italia published an article titled, “Bocconi University vs. War Amputees and Former Combatants,” accusing the rector of hostility toward the claims of students returning from the front line.
Anonymous flyer that was distributed following the attack on Angelo Sraffa, Rector of Bocconi University, 1922. Archivio Bocconi.
To quell the controversy and avoid recourse to the magistrate, Sraffa wrote a letter requesting that “the treacherously falsified truth be restored,” addressing it to whom he believed could have been ideologically inspired to lead the attack, including: Benito Mussolini, editor-in-chief of Popolo d’Italia; Alfredo Rocco, very good friend of Sraffa, as well as Bocconi professor and leader of the nationalists; and Giulio Bergmann, president of the National Association of Combatants. The commission acquitted the Rector in response, but they did not deny the accusations — they were merely minimized.
Just one year later, Angelo Sraffa was questioned by Mussolini for an article written in the Manchester Guardian by his son, Piero, in which he heavily criticized the Italian banking system. It was perceived as an act of sabotage against the national financial policy. Angelo Sraffa’s response was steadfast: he would not pressure his son in any way.
Further conflict occurred in 1924. The Gruppo Universitario Fascista (GUF) demanded action be taken against Bocconi professor, Nino Levi — whom denounced the liberticidal policies of fascism — after he received an endorsement by a group of antifascist students. Sraffa once again reacted cautiously but decisively by claiming among the school's duties to see that no religious or political propaganda would be carried out inside the university's classrooms. Academic authorities had no power, however, to intervene on what took place outside.
From that moment on, university life was regularly interrupted by attacks from the fascist university newspaper Libro e moschetto and from frequent student protests. In 1925, the so-called Turin group — Luigi Einaudi, Attilio Cabiati, Giuseppe Prato and Vincenzo Porri — gave their notice, followed by Carlo Rosselli, whom had been called by Sraffa for an assistant position along with another socialist leading figure of the educational institution "Società Umanitaria", Fausto Pagliari.
In 1926, considering the troubles that his antifascist stance was causing to the university, Angelo Sraffa decided to leave his leadership role, passing the authority of Rector to Ferruccio Bolchini. In order to preserve the autonomy of Bocconi University, Sraffa’s sacrifice had become necessary to favor someone who could guarantee — at least formally — the University's conformity to the regime's directives, eliminating any possible reason for conflict.