saw the establishment of the National Republican Guard (Guardia Nazionale Repubblicana or GNR), the Republican Police Corps (Corpo di Polizia Repubblicana) and the emergence of the Black Brigades (brigate nere). The GNR consisted of former OVRA, carabinieri, soldiers, Italian Africa Police and others still loyal to the Fascist cause, while the Republican Police Corps was the successor agency of the Public security complex formed by the Directorate of Public Security and the Public Security Agents Corps. The Black Brigade was formed by the new fascist party members both young and old. Both units fought alongside Nazi Schutzstaffel (SS) counterparts in an extensive anti-partisan war. The Black Brigades committed many atrocities in their fight against the Italian resistance movement and political enemies. On 15 August 1944, the GNR became part of the Army. Government The Government of the Italian Social Republic held office from 23 September 1943 until 25 April 1945, a total of . Its head was Benito Mussolini. The Government redacted a Constitution for the Italian Social Republic, but it was never discussed or approved. On 13 October 1943, it was announced that a Constitutent Assembly would be called to write a new Constitution, but that was cancelled by Mussolini on 14 November and delayed until after the end of the war. The RSI was led by the Republican Fascist Party, established on 18 September 1943 out of the disbanded National Fascist Party. On 14 February 1945 Mussolini authorized the formation of a second political party called National Republican Socialist Rally (later rebranded into Italian Socialist Republican Party) under the leadership of Edmondo Cione: the party supported a leftist view of fascism, strongly focused on the socialization of the economy and included several former socialists, such as Pulvio Zocchi, Carlo Silvestri and Walter Mocchi. It was largely insignificant and its membership is unknown. Legacy In post-war Italian politics While the RSI supported Nazi Germany, it allowed the Italian Fascist movement to build a completely totalitarian state. During the preceding twenty years of the Fascist association with the Savoy monarchy of the Kingdom of Italy, some of the actions of the Fascists had been restricted by the monarchy. However, the formation of the RSI allowed Mussolini to be the official head of an Italian state and it also allowed the Fascists to return to their earlier republican stances. In one way or another, most of the prominent leaders of the