The use of original sources has led to the reconstruction of happenings tied to the prepa­ration, realization and management of the race census conducted by the fascist regime on August 22nd 1938 in Milan, organized and managed by the prefecture and by the city of Milan. A thorough reconstruction of the work carried out by Milan’s bureaucratic machine has shown just how the census led to an intrusion of the very lives of the individuals it accounted for. Additionally, it represented the initial phase of a wide-scale and in-depth per­secutory action that gave rise to the proclamation of royal legislative decree 1728/1938. This dealt with a general yet genuine backing of the fascist-led administrative and bureaucratic apparatus, which was shown off in Milan for its considerable efficiency.

Keywords: Milan, Jews persecution, Census of 1938, Fascism.

Parole chiave: Milano, Persecuzione degli ebrei, Censimento del 1938, Fascismo.