Born in Molfetta near Bari, he started his political involvement young by associating with syndicalist circles in 1902. From the University of Napels, he obtained two degrees in jurisprudence in 1908 and in philosophy in 1911. from 1928, he was the head of the Fascist Faculty of Political Sciences at Perugia University
Panunzio criticized the Soviet state as a "dictatorship over the proletariat, and not of the proletariat." Also, he is quoted as saying "Moscow bows before the light radiating from Rome. The Communist International no longer speaks to the spirit; it is dead." He opposed the anti-Semitic campaign of 1938.
Panunzio's works
La Persistenza del Diritto (Discutendo di Sindacalismo e di Anarchismo) [The Persistence of the Right (A Discussion about Syndicalism and Anarchism)] (Pescara: Casa Editrice Abruzzese, 1909).
Diritto, forza e violenza; lineamenti di una teoria della violenza. Con prefazione di R. Mondolfo (Bologna, L. Cappelli, 1921)
Italo Balbo (Milano, Imperia, 1923)
Stato nazionale e sindacati (Milan: Imperia, 1924)