NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Enrico Berlinguer

Enrico Berlinguer (IPA [berliŋ'gwɛr]) (May 25, 1922 - June 11, 1984), was an Italian politician and was national secretary of the Italian Communist Party (Partito Comunista Italiano or PCI) from 1972 to 1984. Enrico Berlinguer. ... Enrico Berlinguer. ... The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a system of phonetic notation devised by linguists to accurately and uniquely represent each of the wide variety of sounds (phones or phonemes) used in spoken human language. ... May 25 is the 145th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (146th in leap years). ... 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... June 11 is the 162nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (163rd in leap years), with 203 days remaining. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A politician is an individual involved in politics to the extent of holding or running for public office. ... The Partito Comunista Italiano (PCI) or Italian Communist Party emerged as Partito Comunista dItalia or Communist Party of Italy from a secession by the Leninist comunisti puri tendency from the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) during that bodys congress on 21 January 1921 at Livorno. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Biography

Early career

The son of Mario Berlinguer and Maria Loriga, Enrico Berlinguer was born in Sassari, Italy to a noble and important Sardinian family, in a notable cultural context and with familiar and political relationships that would have heavily influenced his life and his career. His surname 'Berlinguer' is of Catalan origin, a reminder of the period when Sardinia was part of the Aragonese-Catalonian empire. Born in Sassari, Sardinia, Mario Berlinguer (1891-1969) was a lawyer and was politically engaged on the side of Republicans (indirectly descending from Giuseppe Mazzinis La Giovine Italia). ... Sassari (in Italian and Sassarese, a Corsican dialect; either Sassari or Tathari in southern Sardinian), is a town and a province in Sardinia, Italy. ... Sardinia [[]] (Sardegna in Italian, Sardigna, Sardinna or Sardinnia in the Sardinian language, is the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (Sicily is the largest), between Italy, Spain and Tunisia, south of Corsica. ... Catalan (CatalÃ IPA: ) also called Valencian (ValenciÃ IPA: ) is a Romance language, the only official language of Andorra and co-official in the Spanish autonomous communities of Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Valencia. ... King of Aragons arms in 15th century Europe in 1470. ...

He was the first cousin of Francesco Cossiga (who was a leader of the Italian Christian Democrats and later became a President of the Italian Republic), and both were relatives of Antonio Segni, another Christian Democrat leader and President of the Republic. Enrico's grandfather, Enrico Berlinguer Sr., was the founder of La Nuova Sardegna, an important Sardinian newspaper, and a personal friend of Giuseppe Garibaldi and Giuseppe Mazzini, whom he had helped in his parliamentary work on the sad conditions of the island. Francesco Cossiga (born July 26, 1928) is an Italian politician and former President of the Italian Republic. ... Christian Democracy, (Democrazia Cristiana), the christian democratic party of Italy, commonly called the democristiani or DC, dominated government for nearly half a century until its demise amid a welter of corruption allegations in 1992-94. ... This is the list of Presidents of the Italian Republic with the title since 1948. ... Antonio Segni (February 2, 1891, Sassari - December 1, 1972) was twice Prime Minister of Italy (1955-1957, and again 1959-1960). ... Garibaldi in 1866 Giuseppe Garibaldi (July 4, 1807 â€“ June 2, 1882) was an Italian patriot and soldier of the Risorgimento. ... Giuseppe Mazzini. ...

In 1937 Berlinguer had his first contacts with Sardinian anti-Fascists, and in 1943 formally entered the Italian Communist Party, soon becoming the secretary of the Sassari section. The following year a riot exploded in the town; he was involved in the disorders and was arrested, but was discharged after 3 months of prison. 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ...

Immediately after his detention ended, his father brought him to Salerno, the town in which the Royal family and the government had taken refuge after the armistice between Italy and the Allies. In Salerno his father introduced him to Palmiro Togliatti, the most important leader of the Communist Party and a schoolfellow of Don Mario. Map of Italy showing Salerrno southeast of Naples Salerno is a town and a province capital in Campania, south-western Italy, located on the gulf of the same name on the Tyrrhenian Sea. ... The House of Savoy was a dynasty of nobles who traditionally had their domain in Savoy, a region between Piedmont, Italy, France and French-speaking Switzerland. ... A white flag is traditionally used to represent a truce. ... The group of countries known as the Allies of World War II, was those nations opposed to the Axis Powers during the Second World War. ... Palmiro Togliatti (March 26, 1893 - August 21, 1964) was an Italian communist leader. ...

Togliatti sent Berlinguer back to Sardinia to prepare for his political career. At the end of 1944, Togliatti appointed him to the national secretariat of the Communist Organisation for Youth (FGCI); he was soon sent to Milan, and in 1945 he was appointed to the Central Committee as a member. 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... Milan (Italian: Milano; Milanese: MilÃ¡n) is the main city of northern Italy, and is located in the plains of Lombardy, the most populated and developed region in Italy. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ...

In 1946 Togliatti became the national secretary (the highest political role) of the Party, and called Berlinguer to Rome, where his talents let him enter the national leadership only two years after (at the age of 26, one of the youngest members ever admitted); in 1949 he was named national secretary of the FGCI, a post he held until 1956. The year after he was named president of the World Federation of Democratic Youth, an international Communist front organisation. In 1957 Berlinguer, as a member of the central school of the PCI, abolished the obligatory visit to the Soviet Union, which included political training, that was until then necessary for admission to the highest positions in the PCI. 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus â€“ SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC (mythical), early 1st millennium BC (archaeological) Region Latium Area - City Proper 1285 kmÂ² Population - City (2004) - Metropolitan - Density (city proper) 2,553,873 almost 4,300,000 1. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... WFDY symbol The World Federation of Democratic Youth is a youth organization, recognized by the United Nations as an international youth non-governmental organization. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Party leader

Berlinguer's career was obviously carrying him towards the highest positions in the party. After having held many responsible posts, in 1968 he was elected a deputy for the first time for the electoral district of Rome. The following year he was elected deputy national secretary of the party (the secretary being Luigi Longo). In this role he took part in the 1969 international conference of the Communist parties in Moscow, where his delegation disagreed with the "official" political line, and refused to support the final report. 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... The Chamber of Deputies is the name given to the lower house of the bicameral legislatures of the following countries: It is also the name given to the unicameral parliaments of the following countries: Historically, the Chamber of Deputies (fr:Chambre des dÃ©putÃ©s) was the lower house of... City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus â€“ SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC (mythical), early 1st millennium BC (archaeological) Region Latium Area - City Proper 1285 kmÂ² Population - City (2004) - Metropolitan - Density (city proper) 2,553,873 almost 4,300,000 1. ... Luigi Longo (1900 - 1980) was an Italian Communist political figure. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... Moscow (Russian: ÐœÐ¾ÑÐºÐ²Ð°Ì, Moskva, IPA: ) is the capital of Russia and the countrys principal political, economic, financial, educational and transportation center, located on the river Moskva. ...

Berlinguer's unexpected stance made waves: he gave the strongest speech by a major Communist leader ever heard in Moscow. He refused to "excommunicate" the Chinese communists, and directly told Leonid Breznev that the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw Pact countries (which he termed the "tragedy in Prague") had made clear the considerable differences within the Communist movement on fundamental questions such as national sovereignty, socialist democracy, and the freedom of culture. Leonid Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev (Russian: Леонид Ильич Брежнев) (December 19, 1906 - November 10, 1982) was effective ruler of the Soviet Union from 1964 to 1982, though at first in partnership with others. ... Unofficial Seal of the Warsaw Pact Distinguish from the Warsaw Convention, which is an agreement among airlines about financial liability. ... Prague (Czech: Praha (IPA: ), see also other names) is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. ... Sovereignty is the exclusive right to exercise supreme political (e. ...

In 1970 Berlinguer engaged in an unexpected opening towards the world of industry, and towards the country's conservative forces more generally, publicly declaring that the PCI would look with favour on a new model of development, concepts that were part of the program of the industrialists. 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ...

Secretary of the PCI

Already a principal leader in the party, Berlinguer was elected to the position of national secretary in 1972 when Luigi Longo resigned due to illness. 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ...

In 1973, having been hospitalized after a car accident during a visit to Bulgaria, Berlinguer wrote three famous articles ("Reflections on Italy," "After the facts of Chile" and "After the Coup [in Chile]") for the intellectual weekly magazine of the party, Rinascita. In these he presented the strategy of the so-called Historic Compromise, a proposed coalition between the PCI and the Christian Democrats to grant Italy a period of political stability, at a time of severe economical crisis and in a context in which some forces were allegedly manoeuvering for a coup in Italy. 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ...

International relations

The following year in Belgrade he met Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito, developing his relationships with the major Communist parties of Europe, Asia and Africa. Belgrade (Serbian: Beograd, Ð‘ÐµÐ¾Ð³Ñ€Ð°Ð´ ) is the capital of the Republic of Serbia, as well as the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. ... Official language Serbo-Croatian, Serbian, Croatian, Slovenian, Bosnian, Macedonian Capital Belgrade Largest city Belgrade Area (1991) - Total - % water Ranked xxst 255,804 kmÂ² Negligible Population - Total (2004) - Density Ranked xxth 20,522,972 80/kmÂ² Currency Yugoslav dinar Time zone - in summer CET (UTC+1) CEST (UTC+2) National anthem... Portrait of Tito by Paja JovanoviÄ‡ Tito redirects here. ... Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to various perspectives about Europes borders. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ... Africa is the worlds second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia. ...

In 1976, in Moscow again, Berlinguer confirmed the autonomous position of the PCI vis-à-vis the Soviet communist party. In front of 5,000 Communist delegates, he spoke of a "pluralistic system" (translated by the interpreter as "multiform"), referring to the PCI's intentions to build "a socialism that we believe necessary and possible only in Italy." 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1976 calendar). ...

When Berlinguer finally expressed the PCI's condemnation of any kind of "interference", the rupture with the Soviets was complete. Since Italy was suffering the "interference" of NATO, the Soviets said, it seemed that the only interference that the Italian Communists could not suffer was the Soviet one. In an interview with Corriere della Sera he declared that he felt "safer under NATO's umbrella." NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for collective security established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, DC, on 4 April 1949. ... Corriere della Sera (Evening Mail) is the most important Italian daily newspapers (first in sales [1]), printed in Milan. ... NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for collective security established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, DC, on 4 April 1949. ...

In 1977, at a meeting in Madrid between Berlinguer, Santiago Carrillo of the Spanish Communist Party and Georges Marchais of the French Communist Party, the fundamental lines of Eurocommunism were laid out. A few months later Berlinguer was again in Moscow, where he gave another speech which was poorly received by his hosts, and published by Pravda only in a censored version. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Madrid is the capital and the largest city in Spain, as well as in the province and the autonomous community of the same name. ... Santiago Carrillo Solares (born January 18, 1915), Spanish politician, was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) from 1960 to 1982. ... Georges Marchais (June 7, 1920 - November 16, 1997) was the head of the French Communist Party, and a candidate in the French presidential elections of 1981. ... Eurocommunism was an attempt in the 1970s by various European communist parties to widen their appeal by embracing public sector middle-class workers, new social movements such as feminism and gay liberation, rejecting support of the Soviet Union, and expressing more clearly their fidelity to democratic institutions. ... This article describes the Soviet/Russian newspaper. ...

Domestic politics

Berlinguer, moving step by step, was building a consensus in the PCI towards a rapprochement with other components of society. After the surprising opening of 1970 toward conservatives, and the still discussed proposal of the Historic Compromise, he published a correspondence with Monsignor Luigi Bettazzi, the Bishop of Ivrea; it was an astonishing event, since Pope Pius XII had excommunicated the Communists soon after World War II, and the possibility of any relationship between communists and Catholics seemed very unlikely. Image File history File links Napolitano_Berlinguer. ... Image File history File links Napolitano_Berlinguer. ... Giorgio Napolitano (born June 29, 1925 in Naples), an Italian politician and lifetime Senator is the president-elect of the Italian Republic. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... Ivrea is a small town, with a population of slightly over 20,000 people, located in the Piemonte region of northwestern Italy. ... Pope Pius XII (Latin: ), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (March 2, 1876 â€“ October 9, 1958), reigned as the 260th Pope, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, and sovereign of Vatican City State from March 2, 1939 until his death. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II...

This act also served to counteract the allegation, commonly and popularly expressed, that the PCI was protecting leftist terrorists, in the harshest years of terrorism in Italy. In this context the PCI opened its doors to many Catholics, and a debate started about the possibility of contact. Notably, Berlinguer's strictly Catholic family was not brought out of its strictly respected privacy. In the general election of June 1976, the PCI gained 34.4% of the vote. It has been suggested that Political terrorism be merged into this article or section. ...

In Italy a so-called "government of national solidarity" was ruling, but Berlinguer claimed that in an emergency government, a strong and powerful cabinet to solve a crisis of exceptional gravity was needed. On March 16, 1978, Aldo Moro, President of the Christian Democratic Party, was kidnapped by the Red Brigades, an ultra-left terrorist group, on the day that the new government was going to be sworn in before parliament. March 16 is the 75th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (76th in Leap years). ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Red Brigades (Brigate Rosse) are a militant leftist group located in Italy. ...

During this crisis, Berlinguer adhered to the so-called "Front of Firmness," refusing to negotiate with terrorists. (The Red Brigades had proposed to liberate Moro in exchange for the release of some imprisoned terrorists.) Despite the PCI's firm stand against terrorism, the Moro incident left the party more isolated.

In June the PCI gave its approval, and ultimately active support, to a campaign against President Giovanni Leone, accused of minor bribery. This resulted in the President's resignation. Berlinguer also supported the election of the veteran Socialist Sandro Pertini as President of Italy, but his presidency did not produce the effects that the PCI had hoped for. Giovanni Leone Giovanni Leone (Naples, November 3, 1908 - November 9, 2001) was Prime Minister of Italy from June 21, 1963 to November 5, 1963 and again from June 24, 1968 to November 19, 1968. ... Alessandro (Sandro) Pertini (September 25, 1896 - February 24, 1990) was an Italian politician and arguably the most popular President of Italy ever, along with Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. ...

In Italy, after a new president is elected, the government resigns. The PCI expected Pertini to use his influence in their favour. But the President was influenced by other political leaders like Giovanni Spadolini of the Italian Republican Party and Bettino Craxi of the Italian Socialist Party, and the PCI remained out of the government. Giovanni Spadolini (Florence, June 21, 1925-[august 6[1994]]) was a liberal Italian politician, member of Italian Republican Party (PRI), who served as Prime Minister of Italy from 1981-1982, the first in the 1st Republic not from Christian Democracy. ... The Italian Republican Party (Partito Repubblicano Italiano) is an old left liberal party in Italy, with roots to Giuseppe Mazzini. ... Bettino Craxi Bettino Craxi (born Benedetto Craxi in Milan, Italy on February 24, 1934, died in Hammamet on January 19, 2000) was an Italian politician. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

During these years the PCI governed many Italian regions, sometimes more than half of them. Notably, the regional government of Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany was concrete proof of PCI's governmental capabilities. In this period, Berlinguer turned his attention to the exercise of local power, to show that "the trains could run in time" under the PCI. He personally took part in electoral campaigns in the provinces and for local councils, while other parties sent only local leaders; this helped the party to win many elections at these levels. Emilia Romagna, painting by Frans Koppelaar Emilia-Romagna is an administrative region of Northern Italy comprising the two historic regions of Emilia and Romagna. ... Tuscany (Italian Toscana) is a region in central Italy, bordering on Latium to the south, Umbria and Marche to the east, Emilia-Romagna and Liguria to the north, and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west. ...

The break with the Soviet Union

In 1980 the PCI publicly condemned the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan; Moscow then immediately sent Marchais to Rome, to try to bring Berlinguer into line, but Marchais was received with a notable coldness. The break with the Soviets and other Communist parties became clear when the PCI did not participate in the 1980 international conference of Communist parties held in Paris. Instead Berlinguer made an official visit to China. In November in Salerno, Berlinguer declared that the idea of an eventual Historic Compromise had been put aside; it would be replaced with the idea of the "democratic alternative." Image File history File links Funerali-w1. ... Image File history File links Funerali-w1. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... The Eiffel Tower, the international symbol of the city, with the skyscrapers of La DÃ©fense business district 5 km/ 3 mi behind. ...

In 1981 Berlinguer said that, in his personal opinion, "the progressive force of the October Revolution had been exhausted." The PCI criticised the "normalisation" of Poland and very soon the PCI's split with the Soviet Communist Party became definitive and official, followed by a long polemic between Pravda and L'Unità (the official newspaper of PCI), not made any milder after the meeting with Fidel Castro in Havana. 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article describes the Soviet/Russian newspaper. ... Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (pron. ... Aerial view of Havana Havana (Spanish in full: San CristÃ³bal de La Habana, usually shortened to just La Habana; UN/LOCODE: CU HAV) is the capital of Cuba and, with a population of 2. ...

On an internal side, Berlinguer's last major statement was a call for the solidarity among the leftist parties. In June 1984 Berlinguer suddenly left the stage during a speech at public meeting in Padua: he had suffered a brain haemorrhage, and died three days later. More than a million citizens attended his funeral. 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Location within Italy Tronco Maestro Riviera: a pedestrian walk along a section of the inland waterway or naviglio interno of Padua The city of Padua (Lat. ...

Analysis

Enrico Berlinguer has been defined in many ways, but he was generally recognised for political coherence and a certain courage, together with a rare personal and political intelligence. A serious man, he was sincerely respected even by his opponents, and his three days' agony was followed with great attention by the general population. His funeral was followed by a large number of people, perhaps among the highest ever seen in Rome.

The most important political act of his career in the PCI was undoubtedly the dramatic break with Soviet Communism, the so-called strappo, together with the creation of Eurocommunism, and his substantial work towards contact with the conservative half of the country. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (634x614, 62 KB)Funerals of Enrico Berlinguer I still assert fair use, because the image is an example of the commotion and of the popular participation to the funerals of Berlinguer. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (634x614, 62 KB)Funerals of Enrico Berlinguer I still assert fair use, because the image is an example of the commotion and of the popular participation to the funerals of Berlinguer. ... City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus â€“ SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC (mythical), early 1st millennium BC (archaeological) Region Latium Area - City Proper 1285 kmÂ² Population - City (2004) - Metropolitan - Density (city proper) 2,553,873 almost 4,300,000 1. ... A clenched fist closed fist, or raised fist, as a symbol, has been used to represent many similar ideas. ...

Berlinguer nevertheless had many enemies. An internal opposition in the PCI claimed that he had turned a workers' party into a sort of bourgeois revisionist club. External opposition figures noted that strappo took several years to be completed; this was seen as evidence that there had been no definitive decision on the point. The acceptance of NATO is however generally seen as evidence of the genuine autonomy of the PCI's position.

All the work of Berlinguer, however, even if supported by a notably successful Communist local governments, was unable to bring the PCI into the government. Berlinguer's final platform, the "democratic alternative," was never translated into reality. Within a decade of his death the Soviet Union, the Christian Democrats and the PCI all disappeared, transforming Italian politics beyond recognition.

Trivia

Categories: 1922 births | 1984 deaths | Italian resistance members | Members of the Italian Communist Party | Natives of Sassari The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ... Roberto Benigni as Johnny Stecchino Roberto Benigni (born October 27, 1952) is an Oscar-winning Italian film and television actor and director. ... Luigi Longo (1900 - 1980) was an Italian Communist political figure. ... List of Secretaries: Category: ... Alessandro Natta (Imperia, 7 January 1918 - 23 May 2001), Italian politician. ...

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