Committee of National Liberation

The Committee of National Liberation (CLN) was an Italian political organization that emerged after September 1943 during World War II. It was primarily composed of various anti-Fascist parties that organized and armed partisan Resistance groups operating throughout northern and central Italy.1

These partisan groups fought a multi-faceted war: a civil war against Italian Fascists, a war of national liberation against German occupation, and, for some, a class war against ruling elites. The CLNs coordinated strategy, cooperated with the Allies, administered liberated areas, and appointed new officials. They were instrumental in organizing uprisings in northern and central Italian cities, such as Milan and Genoa, often liberating them before Allied troops arrived. The CLNs laid the groundwork for postwar political collaboration in Italy.1