Socialism in Italy

Due to the economic and social struggles at the beginning of the twentieth century, socialist ideas were widely accepted by the Italian working-class population during this time.[3] National industrial systems were established to bring attention to problems in different areas, such as the wealth gap, widespread unemployment, and environmental pollution. In Italy, a series of measures were taken to eliminate the negative effects of the industrial revolution. Compared to other European countries, Italian socialism spread in the right conditions for a struggling and an impoverished Italian people to willingly engage with, understand, and accept the core spirit of socialism.[1]

Italian socialism divided into two major parties, the Partito Socialista Italiano (PSI), led by Pietro Nenni, and Democratico Italiano, led by Giuseppe Saragat. Both of them faced a series of problems for democratic socialism, especially the absence of a powerful and independent socialist movement after World War II.

From World War II, two parties dominated the political stage until the end of the twentieth century: the Christian Democratic Party (Partito della Democrazia Cristiana; DC) and the Italian Communist Party (Partito Comunista Italiano; PCI).[9] During the period of the industrial revolution, in addition to other similarities between Catholics and socialists, they had a shared goal related to workers' rights.[6] Christianity and socialism both had huge influences in Italy, so the relationship between them was deeply connected to the development of their society. In the last decade of the nineteenth century, Italy was still a relatively backward country, with deep economic differences between the north and south. Due to slow economic development and a late industrialization process, the time of Italian Catholic and socialist connection was later than their other European counterparts,[1] and socialists had missed many opportunities to establish a socialist state in Italy with the support of Catholics.

Father Carlo Maria Curcie, who was the first man who tried to tackle the challenges caused by socialism as a Catholic, made great contributions to peaceful communications between Christian and socialist groups.[9] He studied the origins of the Church and tried to conclude that Christian ethics were compatible with the spiritual core of socialism. In his opinion, Christianity and socialism should consider the possibility of exchanging cultural and political proposals,[2] and working simultaneously for political and religious innovation.

In the mid-1950s, the PSI[5] desired collaboration with the Christian Democrats and the communists. Initially, the socialists' bargaining power was limited, so they had to cope with Christian Democrats to guarantee Italy's govern ability. A growing number of socialists understood the necessity of communications with Catholics, and tried to find an appropriate track to have an alliance with them.[3] They reached a consensus on the opinion that establishing an alliance between two authoritarian organizations was an effective solution to improve the dilapidated social conditions.[2] From 1945 to 1947 Communists, Socialists, and Christian Democrats shared the responsibilities of power,[7] while they also strengthened their own positions during the period of collaboration. Christian Democracy built power centers in every area in Italy, from urban to rural, rich to poor. Meanwhile, socialism and social democracy mainly focused on the northern areas and the south of Rome. But in 1963, the PSI joined a Christian Democratic government.[4]

Bakunin, who was the first man in Italy to explore socialism,[1] is regarded as one of the greatest leaders of the worldwide movement of today. His work has deeply influenced Italy and the rest of the world, and his teaching has helped Italians understand anarchism, which originated in Germany with Marx. His activities also motivated other people to fight for their rights, especially the working classes. They felt an urgent desire to form an open, free, and democratic socialist organization, which could contribute to the development of democratic processes in Italy.[8] Moreover, his beliefs brought to light more challenges to the capitalist system than ever before.

Following previous pioneers’ action, a great number of socialists were effective in breaking social barriers and reforming societies for a better future.[6] They used trade unions, co-operative societies, and parties to progress the labor movement.[10] The socialist parties produced radical political and economic reform to solve the problems of contemporary society. Finally, they achieved their goal of a radical transformation of society. Moreover, they contributed to Italy's economic and social modernization,[8] and succeeded in solidifying socialism's social and geographical bases. More and more young socialists engaged in political movements to strengthen the next generation's faith in social democracy, which prepared them for modern society.[2] They supported legislation for land reform, divorce, education, and similar measures that could modernize society.[15] These unexpected and dramatic developments not only developed socialism in Italy but also stimulated the political efficiency of Italian democratic process.[9] However, the speed of socialist development largely depended on the level of local development. In the big cities of northern and central Italy or in economically developed agricultural areas, socialism was more widely spread than in southern Italy or underdeveloped areas.[4] Lack of education and poverty created inevitable barriers for lower-class people to participate in the movement.

Although some views of socialism and democracy that developed in the Biennio Rosso were ahead of that time, the approach to democracy and the transition from capitalism to socialism are increasingly more meaningful in contemporary debates on socialist strategy.[9] By meeting and exchanging views, socialists could adopt innovative strategies towards greater social justice[2] to help deprived and underprivileged members of the community. Italian socialism consistently makes connections with the whole nature of humankind and give tens of thousands of Italians a sense of participation in the political process.[4]