Alcide de Gasperi

Josemaría Vergara Pérez-Villalobos

Alcide De Gasperi (3 April 1881 – 19 August 1954) was an Italian statesman and politician and founder of the Christian Democratic Party. From 1945 to 1953 he was the prime minister of eight successive coalition governments. His eight-year term in office remains a landmark of political longevity for a leader in modern Italian politics. A conservative Catholic, he was one of the Founding fathers of the European Union, along with the Frenchman Robert Schuman and the West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer.

Christian Democratic Party

EARLY YEARS

De Gasperi was born in Pieve Tesino in Tyrol, which at that time belonged to Austria-Hungary, now part of the Trentino in Italy. In 1900 he joined the Faculty of Literature and Philosophy in Vienna, where he played an important role in the inception of the Christian student movement. In 1911 he became a Member of Parliament for the Popular Political Union of Trentine in the Austrian Reichsrat, a post he held for 6 years. He was politically neutral during World War I

FOUNDING THE CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTYDuring World War II, he organized the establishment of the first Christian Democracy party, drawing upon the ideology of the Popular Party. In January 1943, he published "Ideas for reconstruction” which amounted to a party programme for the party. He became the first general secretary of the new party in 1944.De Gasperi was the undisputed head of the Christian Democrats, the party that dominated Parliament for the next decades. Although his control of the DC appeared almost complete, he had to carefully balance of different factions and interests, especially over relations with the Vatican, over social reform, and over foreign policy.

1948 electionsThe general elections in April 1948 were heavily influenced by the cold-war confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States. The election campaign remains unmatched in verbal aggression and fanaticism in Italy's history on both sides. The Catholic Church in Italy worked hard to encourage people to vote against communist candidates. The Christian Democratic propaganda became famous.In the US a campaign was launched to prevent a victory of the Communist The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) funneled "black bag" contributions to anti-communist. 

92.2%

  Majority party

Minority party

 

Leader Alcide De Gasperi

Palmiro Togliatti

Party Christian Democracy

Popular Front

RESULTS

DEATH AND LEGACY

In 1952, the party overwhelmingly endorsed his authority over the government and over the party. However, it was also the start of his decline. He came under increasing criticism from the emerging left wing in the party. Their main accusations were that he was too cautious in social and economic reform, that he stifled debate, and that he subordinated the party to the interests of government.When the Christian Democrats did not gain a majority in the elections of 1953, De Gasperi was unable to establish a workable government and was forced to resign as Prime Minister. The following year he also had to give up the leadership of the party.Two months later, on 19 August 1954, he died in Sella di Valsugana, in his beloved Trentino. He is buried in the Basilica di San Lorenzo Fuori le Mura, a basilica in Rome. The process for his beatification was opened in 1993.

Importance of De Gasperi in Europe

Europeanism was, undoubtedly, the most significant aspect of the last years of activityDe Gasperi policy. As Robert Schuman and Konrad Adenauer, theother two "fathers of Europe", was a frontiersman, was Catholic and was convinced that the European peoples had a common heritage of spiritual and moral values to share the same Christian origin. But it was not easy to move from this conviction to a concrete policy for the union of the European countries.

In the first years after World War II, De Gasperi did not think that this idea was paramount: so were other concerns, as reading can check the official programs of the Christian Democrats. Only at the end of “The ideas of the Christian Democratic reconstructive”, is mentioned a "community”, Europe, "in which Italy could collaborate" with loyalty“ This reference, however, seemed more oriented to define the geographical area in which Italy should "restore its function secular civilizing“ that the possibility of supranational institutions.

De Gasperi was convinced that Europe was the only way to solve the problems of countries. In their cultural elements found to give political and ideological weight to your idea and become one of the most tireless and consistent advocates the unification of the continent.

And his Catholic faith meant a natural predisposition to ecumenism and universality, political experiences in the multinational Habsburg Empire and the careful analysis of international events of the thirties from the vantage point of the Vatican he was guaranteed opening ideas and sensitivity to international relations rare among posfascismo Italian politicians. From late 1949 multiplied interventions De Gasperi Europeans, already announced in his speech in Brussels on 20 November 1948, entitled "The moral basis of democracy."

The facts gave strength to the proposals European. De Gasperi insisted and found much internationally resistance to Italy could participate in at least the last phase negotiations in May 1949 that led to the Council of Europe. In May 1950 agreed that Italy could join immediately to negotiations on the plan Schuman, the April 18, 1951 led to the creation of the first European: the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). The instructions given to Paolo Emilio Taviani, head of the Italian delegation, required that the delegation should have "a postureEuropean fair “   and also seek the participation of Great Britain in the agreement.

De Gasperi supported him, it was because, as he has said, he was convinced that European unity would be through the army or the currency, it was because he saw immediately Europeans possibilities that hid the plan. It was the right time to start limited integration to the military aspects only and reach an integration economic policy and simplify the solution of the traditional problems of delay of the peninsula. The biggest problem was to make the public understand Italian, in his most still insensitive to the ideal Europeanist.

END