Popular Democratic Front (Italy)

The Popular Democratic Front (Italian: Fronte Democratico Popolare), shortened name of the Popular Democratic Front for Freedom, Peace, Labour (Fronte Democratico Popolare per la libertà, la pace, il lavoro) was a political alliance of political parties in Italy.

Popular Democratic Front
Fronte Democratico Popolare
LeadersPalmiro Togliatti
Pietro Nenni
Founded28 December 1947 (1947-12-28)
Dissolved18 April 1948 (1948-04-18)
IdeologySocialism[1][2]
Communism[3][4]
Political positionLeft-wing to far-left[5][6]
Colors  Red
Restored 1948 graffito in Rome's Garbatella neighbourhood calling to vote for the Popular Democratic Front

History

The alliance was formed for the 1948 general election and consisted of the Italian Communist Party (PCI) and Italian Socialist Party (PSI).[7] Its symbol was a green star surmounted by an image of Italian Unification hero Giuseppe Garibaldi.[7] The Social Christian Party (PCS) and Sardinian Action Party (PSd'Az) were not allied with the coalition, and formed their own electoral lists. The right wing of the PSI opposed the Front, left the party, and organised a separate list as Socialist Unity; this group later became the Italian Democratic Socialist Party (PSDI).

The election of 1948 was perhaps the most important in Italian republican history: the choice of future alliance with United States or with the Soviet Union was at issue. The Popular Front got only 31.0% of the vote for the Chamber of Deputies (30.8% of the Senate vote).[8] Following the victory of Christian Democracy with 48.5%, Italy became a founding member of NATO in 1949.

Composition

It was composed of the following political parties:

Party Ideology Leader
Italian Communist Party (PCI) Communism Palmiro Togliatti
Italian Socialist Party (PSI) Socialism Pietro Nenni

Election results
Chamber of Deputies
Election year Votes % Seats +/− Leader
1948 8,136,637 (2nd) 31.0
183 / 574
–
Palmiro Togliatti & Pietro Nenni
Senate of the Republic
Election year Votes % Seats +/− Leader
1948 6,969,122 (2nd) 30.8
72 / 237
–
Palmiro Togliatti & Pietro Nenni

References
  1. Fedele, Santi (1978). Bompiani (ed.). Fronte popolare: la sinistra e le elezioni del 18 aprile 1948.
  2. Cacciatore, Giuseppe (1979). Dedalo (ed.). La sinistra socialista nel dopoguerra. Meridionalismo e politica unitaria in Luigi Cacciatore. pp. 2014–218. ISBN 9788822003478.
  3. Gori, Francesca; Gons, Silvio (1998). Carocci (ed.). Dagli archivi di Mosca: l'URSS, il Cominform e il PCI : 1943-1951. p. 83. ISBN 9788843010929.
  4. Gundle, Stephen (1995). Giunti (ed.). I comunisti italiani tra Hollywood e Mosca: la sfida della cultura di massa : 1943-1991. p. 86. ISBN 9788809206427.
  5. Gori, Francesca; Gons, Silvio (1963). Aggiornamenti sociali. Vol. 14. p. 217.
  6. Tobagi, Walter (2009). Il Saggiatore (ed.). La rivoluzione impossibile: l'attentato a Togliatti, violenza politica e reazione popolare. p. 35. ISBN 9788856501124.
  7. Victoria Belco (2010). War, Massacre, and Recovery in Central Italy, 1943-1948. University of Toronto Press. p. 498. ISBN 978-0-8020-9314-1.
  8. Ram Mudambi; Pietro Navarra; Giuseppe Sobbrio (2001). "A History of the Italian Political System – 1913 to the Present". Rules, Choice and Strategy: The Political Economy of Italian Electoral Reform. Edward Elgar Publishing. pp. 32–33. ISBN 978-1-78195-082-1.
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