Italian industrialist Giovanni Agnelli (born 1920) was a leading capitalist in Italy, controlling a group of enterprises that employed 360,000 workers and had annual sales of over $15 billion.

Giovanni Agnelli reigned for thirty years as one of the most prominent industrialists in Europe, spending his youth as one of the most notorious playboys in Europe. Born in Turin, Italy, he was known as Gianni Agnelli or "L'Avvocato" (the lawyer) because he once received a law degree. His grandfather, Giovanni Agnelli, Sr. (1866-1945), established FIAT (Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino, the Italian Car Factory, Turin) at the beginning of the 20th century. When Giovanni's son, Edoardo Agnelli, died in an airplane accident, Gianni and his younger brother Umberto became heirs of the largest private enterprise in Italy.

At the time of their father's death, neither Gianni nor Umberto were willing or able to take over the management of the FIAT empire. During...