Early life

Born in Rome, Giuseppe was son of Luigi, the wine dealer with republican sympathies, in addition to Elena Cortesia. He graduated at Liceo Torquato Tasso and attended the Sapienza University of Rome until the 1915, when Italy declared war to the Central Powers. The same year, he left his studies to enlist himself in the Italian Royal Army. Wounded in battle, he obtained a Medal of Military Valor after World War I.

In 1919, Bottai met Benito Mussolini during a Futurist meeting and contributed to determine the Fasci Italiani di Combattimento "Italian Fasces of Combat". In 1921, Bottai ended his studies at law faculty and became a Gran Loggia d'Italia. At the same time he also started a journalist career in the Il Popolo d'Italia, the newspaper of the recently founded National Fascist Party. During the March on Rome, Bottai was along with Ulisse Igliori and Gino Calza-Bini, the head of the Roman squadrismo, supporting the Blackshirts' political violence.