The Italian Social Movement (MSI) was a neo-fascist political party in Italy that was active from 26 December 1946 to 27 January 1995. The party was founded by former fascist official Giorgio Almirante and other supporters of the former dictator Benito Mussolini, with most of its leaders being veterans of the Italian Social Republic and the Republican Fascist Party. By the early 1960s, the MSI became the fourth largest party in Italy, and it gave informal local and eventually national support to Christian Democracy from the late 1940s and through the 1950s, as they shared anti-communist ideologies. During the 1960s, the MSI was pushed to the sidelines of Italian politics after the DC began to cooperate with the Italian Socialist Party and other leftist parties, and the MSI only began to regain political recognition during the 1980s. During the 1950s and 1960s, moderates gained control over the party, which was opposed to a violent seizure of power; many of its extremist members left to join far-right militant groups such as Ordine Nuovo or Terza Posizione. In 1987, Gianfranco Fini became party leader, and he transformed the MSI into the National Alliance in 1995. A small minority, led by Pino Rauti, founded the neo-fascist Tricolor Flame party.
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