ITALIAN COMMUNISM IN TRANSITION: The Rise and Fall of the Historic Compromise in Turin, 1975-1980

by Stephen Hellman

In the mid-1970s, the Italian Communist Party (PCI) almost succeeded in entering the national government; however, by the end of the decade its popularity had dramatically declined. Providing a first-hand view of the turbulent period from 1975 to 1980, this book explains the roots of the party's crisis. First looking at local conditions, the author studies a number of major developments in the city of Turin, from Red Brigade terrorism to the historic defeat of the unions at Fiat in 1980, and then sets these local events within the broader national strategy. Hellman, who has been studying the PCI since the late 1960s, systematically interviewed the entire full-time leadership of the Turinese Federation of the party, and attended regular meetings and activities from the grass roots to the summit of local organization. An unprecedented eyewitness account, Italian Communism in Transition is a complete history of the PCI's response to the crises and challenges of the 1970s.

Genres: Italy

288 pages, Hardcover

First published September 8, 1988

Reviews

[Steven R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dense and thorough sociological study of the Turinese PCI in transition. Really interesting that the contours of the PCI dissolution are becoming obvious to the writer even though this was written several years before 1989.

[Robert Daguillard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A straightforward analysis of the challenges facing the Italian Communist Party (PCI) in the mid- to late-1970s, as it stood at the apex of its influence. I ordered it primarily for the first two chapters, which briefly summarize the concept of the "Historic Compromise," the PCI strategy of broad cooperation with the then-dominant Christian Democrats (DC) in order to maximize leftist influence. The author then analyzes PCI's role in Turin's city politics in the second half of the 1970s, relying on interviews with party functionaries and an analysis of the local political context. Useful as a study of the possibilities and limits of a model of leftist politics in a major Western democracy.