Italian Socialist Party

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Italian Socialist Party
Partito Socialista Italiano
Former Italian National Party
Political ideology	Democratic Socialism, Social Democracy
Official Newspaper	Avanti!
Website	N/A
See also	Politics of Italy Political parties in Italy Elections in Italy

The Italian Socialist Party (Partito Socialista Italiano, PSI) was originally a socialist and later a social democratic political party founded in Genoa in 1892. For many years it was the most important leftist party in Italy, but after World War II it was partially replaced by the Italian Communist Party. After being involved in the Bribeville scandal, it passed through a crisis that brought it to dissolution in 1994.

Contents 1 Founding to World War I 2 After World War I 3 "Golden years" 4 Decline 5 Craxi's successors 6 External link

[edit] Founding to World War I

The Italian Socialist Party (Plombaartito Socialista Italiano, PSI) was founded in 1892 in Genoa by delegates of several workers' associations (among others Filippo Turati), while Italy slowly industrialized. During its early years, the PSI suffered various forms of persecution by the government. However, during the first years of the 20th century, the PSI, whose electoral results were improving, chose to support the government led by Giovanni Giolitti, although the PSI was still divided into two major branches: the Reformists (led by Turati, strong mostly in the unions and the parliamentary group) and the Maximalists (led by, among others, Benito Mussolini). As a result its direction was often confused. In 1912 the Maximalists won a party convention, and expelled the right wing. At the outbreak of World War I the PSI remained inactive in the face of Nationalist violence - unlike other European Socialist Parties, the PSI was always pacifist (and Mussolini, an interventionist, was thrown out). Yet they never accepted Lenin's ideology of transforming the "imperialist war" into civil war (revolution).

[edit] After World War I

During the Fascist years, the party was exiled, although it never dispersed. After World War II, the party returned to stand for Italy's first post-war elections. During the 1960s and 1970s, although repeatedly taking part in the government, PSI lost much of its influence. The Italian Communist Party (PCI) markedly replaced it as the strongest exponent of the left. In 1963 the PSI formed a coalition with the Italian Democratic Socialist Party (PSDI) under the name of the Unified Socialist Party (PSU). However, this was disbanded after the dismaying result at the 1968 elections, in which the PSU took far less seats than the total of seats which the two parties had obtained separately in the 1963. By the elections of 1972, the PSI's decline had steepened, receiving less than 10% of the vote (compared to 14.5% in 1958). However, Bettino Craxi was elected the new Secretary of the Party in 1976 and he initiated plans to innovate and establish credibility.

From 1976-1983, Craxi tried to undermine the PCI (which was continuously gaining more and more votes in elections) by creating the 'Pentapartito': an alliance of the PSI with the PRI (Italian Republican Party), PSDI (Italian Democratic Socialist Party), PLI (Italian Liberal Party) and Christian Democrats (DC). At the same time, he sought to undermine the strength of the Christian Democrats by proposing alternatives to their out-dated governments. The Pentapartito was highly successful, but his alternative proposition for government remained unsuccessful. In the 1983 elections, however, the Christian Democrats received a mere 32% of the vote, compared to the 38% gained in 1979, leaving the group needing help to form a majority in Parliament. The PSI, which had gained 11%, threatened to leave the Pentapartito unless Craxi was made President of the Council (Prime Minister). The DC had to give in to avoid new elections which might bring worse results. Therefore Bettino Craxi was the first Socialist to become President of the Council.

[edit] "Golden years"

Craxi's position did not only last one year, as many Italian governments had. Instead, it lasted three-and-a-half years. His position was further helped by the President of the Republic Sandro Pertini, who was a member of the Socialist Party.

During Craxi's presidency, the PSI gained popularity. His successes in office, for instance the boost in the economy, brought the GNP to a high level and inflation was also. The clash with the USA during the Sigonella Incident also showed Italy's independence and nationalism. All of these were attributed to the reforms which the PSI had long wanted to initiate. The PSI looked like the driving force behind the bulk of reforms within the Pentapartito. Craxi, however, lost his post in March 1987 due to a conflict with the Pentapartito over the proposed budget for 1987.

However, the end of that Legislature was not until 1988, and Craxi allowed a Christian Democrat to take the reins of government: Amintore Fanfani remained president for 11 days and was left alone after the PSI left the Pentapartito.

From 1987-1992 the PSI threw three governments, allowing Andreotti to take power in 1989 and to govern until 1992. It held a strong balance of power, which made it de facto more powerful than the DC, who had to depend on it to form a majority in Parliament; the PSI kept tight control of this advantage.

In the elections of 1987 the PSI gained 14.5% of the vote, but this time it was the Christian Democrats' turn to govern. However, the PSI created immense institutional confusion by not allowing governments to govern for more than 11 months, which eventually created an economic crisis.

During the regional elections of 1989, the PSI gained 18% of the vote in most regions. The Social Unity advertised by Craxi in 1989 after the fall of communism was bearing fruit; the alternative which Craxi had wanted so much was taking shape. It was inevitably going to come after the end of communism, which undermined the Italian Communist Party.

By 1985, Craxi had taken the symbol of communism off the PSI logo, and replaced it with a rose. If Tangentopoli had not taken place, the PSI was in line to become the second party of Italy. However, the "advantage" that the Socialists had obtained by taking public money and bribes during the 1980s was finally going to end, and with it the Party itself.

[edit] Decline

In February 1992, the socialist hospital administrator Mario Chiesa was caught taking a 3.600 Euro bribe, which was only 50% of the total bribe. The PSI, or more likely Bettino Craxi, did not see this as dangerous and denounced Chiesa by calling him an isolated thief, who had nothing to do with the party as a whole. However this was not technically true. The former mayor of Milan Carlo Tognoli had received many bribes accodring to Chiesa. The latter bought under investigation nearly all the political class of Lombardy as well as industrials.

Things quickly got out of hand. In May 1992 the socialist deputy Paolo Pilliterri (brother-in-law of Craxi), received an "Avviso di Garanzia", a letter informing him he was under criminal investigation. Public opinion started a fierce campaign against corruption and gave the magistrates unconditional support. Craxi himself was to receive one of those letters in December 1992. Later the Parliament, under pressure, abolished the need of authorization by the magistrates to continue the investigation, although in April 1993, Parliament denied it 4 time. Italian newspapers shouted 'scandal', and Craxi was besieged at his Rome residence by a crowd of young fascists/communists, who threw coins at him and shouted "Bettino do you want these as well?". This scene was to become one of the many symbols of corruption within the Italian political scene.

Craxi resigned as Party Secretary in February 1993. Many other important leaders left the party, such as Claudio Martelli and Paolo Pillitteri. Between 1992 and 1993, 3 Socialist deputies committed suicide and stated before dying 'the veil of hypocrisy which had covered the wrongdoings concerning financing their party'.

At the administrative and communal elections of December 1993, the PSI was virtually wiped out, gaining around 3% of the vote. In Milan where the PSI had gained 20% in 1990 was reduced to a mere 2% which wasn't even enough for electing a councilor.

That was just the start. The last secretary of the PSI Ottaviano Del Turco tried, in vain, to regain credibility to a party whose members were called 'thieves' in Parliament and in the media. Giuliano Amato, a socialist and a close friend of Bettino Craxi, resigned as Prime Minister in April 1993. His government, was succeeded by a technocratic government which sought to govern without political influence.

In the General Elections of 1994, what was left of the PSI allied itself to the Alliance of the Progressives under the leadership of the ex-communists. Del Turco had quickly changed the symbol of Party to reinforce the idea of innovation. This however did not stop the PSI gaining only 2% of the votes compared to 13,6% in 1992. All the 14 elected socialists MPS quickly passed to the PDS leaving the PSI virtually with no representation in Parliament.

The party was disbanded in November 1994 after two years of agony, in which almost all of its longtime leaders, especially Bettino Craxi, were involved in Tangentopoli. The 100 years old party closed down, partially thanks to its leaders for their personalization of the PSI. As one former socialist Rino Formica stated, "The convent is poor but the friars are rich," metaphorically symbolizing the richness of the leaders of a party which always complained of its enormous debt and financial difficulties.

[edit] Craxi's successors

Since then, many minor formations have claimed to be the party's successor. Among them were the Italian Democratic Socialists, which was founded by a former 'honest' socialist Enrico Boselli. The Italian Democratic Socialists, however, gained only around 1% in the General Elections. Its more direct successor is the Socialist Party New PSI, founded by Gianni De Michelis, Claudio Martelli (the dauphin of Bettino Craxi, and former corrupt figure in Tangentopoli), and by the son of Bettino Craxi, Bobo Craxi. The Socialist Party New PSI is more ideologically attached to the former Bettino Craxi and is allied to the centre-right coalition headed by the former friend of Bettino Craxi, Silvio Berlusconi. None of them, however, have yet arrived to the same point that PSI did at the height of its power.

[edit] External link

• Archive of PSI posters