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Giovanni Gronchi,OMCA(Italian pronunciation:[dʒoˈvanniˈɡroŋki];10 September 1887 – 17 October 1978)[1]was an Italian politician fromChristian Democracywho served asPresident of Italyfrom 1955 to 1962 and was marked by a controversial and failed attempt to bring about an "opening to the left" in Italian politics. He was reputed thereal holderof theexecutive powerinItalyfrom 1955 to 1962, behind the variousPrime Ministersof this time.
Giovanni Gronchi | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait,c.1955 | |
| President of Italy | |
| In office 11 May 1955 – 11 May 1962 | |
| Prime Minister | Mario Scelba Antonio Segni Adone Zoli Amintore Fanfani Fernando Tambroni |
| Preceded by | Luigi Einaudi |
| Succeeded by | Antonio Segni |
| President of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 8 May 1948 – 29 April 1955 | |
| Preceded by | Umberto Terracini |
| Succeeded by | Giovanni Leone |
| Minister of Industry and Trade | |
| In office 18 June 1944 – 1 July 1946 | |
| Prime Minister | Ivanoe Bonomi Ferruccio Parri Alcide de Gasperi |
| Preceded by | Attilio Di Napoli |
| Succeeded by | Rodolfo Morandi |
| Member of theSenate of the Republic | |
| Life tenure 11 May 1962 – 17 October 1978 | |
| Member of theChamber of Deputies | |
| In office 8 May 1948 – 11 May 1955 | |
| Constituency | Pisa |
| In office 1 December 1919 – 21 January 1929 | |
| Constituency | Pisa |
| Member of theConstituent Assembly | |
| In office 25 June 1946 – 31 January 1948 | |
| Constituency | Pisa |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 September 1887 Pontedera,Tuscany,Kingdom of Italy |
| Died | 17 October 1978(aged 91) Rome,Lazio,Italy |
| Political party | Italian People's Party (1919–1926) Christian Democracy (1943–1978) |
| Spouse(s) |
Carla Bissatini
(m.1941–1978) |
| Alma mater | Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa |
| Profession | Teacher |
| Signature |  |
Biography
editEarly life and political career
editHe was born inPontedera,Tuscany,and was an early member of the Christian Movement founded by the Catholic priest donRomolo Murriin 1902. He obtained his first degree in literature and philosophy at theScuola Normale Superiore di Pisa.Between 1911 and 1915 he then worked as a high-school teacher of classics in several Italian towns (Parma,Massa di Carrara,BergamoandMonza).
He volunteered for military service in theFirst World Warand when it was over he became in 1919 one of the founding members of the CatholicItalian Popular Party.He was elected to represent Pisa in both the parliamentary elections of 1919 and 1921. A trade union leader in the Italian Confederation of Christian Workers, in 1922–1923 he served in the first government ofBenito Mussolinias Under-secretary for Industry and Commerce. In April 1923, however, a national meeting of the Popular Party held inTurindecided to withdraw all PPI representatives from the government. He then went back to his role in the leadership of the Catholictrade unions,and tried to face the daily violence brought against them by thefascistsquads.
In 1924, afterLuigi Sturzohad resigned as Secretary of the PPI, Gronchi became leader of the party, together with two other "triumvirs", (SpataroandRodinò). Re-elected to Parliament in the same year, he joined theanti-fascistopposition of the so-calledAventine Secession(from the hill in Rome where the opposition withdrew from Parliament). In 1926 he was expelled from Parliament by the new regime.
In the years between 1925 and 1943, he thus interrupted his political career. In order to avoid having to become a member of theFascist Party,he also resigned his position as a schoolteacher, and earned his living as a successful businessman, first as a salesman and then as an industrialist.
After the Second World War
editIn 1943–1944 he was a co-founder of the newChristian-Democratic party(DC), and became a leader of itsleft-wingfaction,[2]together with men likeGiorgio La Pira,Giuseppe DossettiandEnrico Mattei(the future boss ofENI,the Italian government-owned petrochemical giant). He was also a member of theComitato di Liberazione Nazionale,the multi-party committee of the Italian Resistance, as a representative of his party.
Although often in conflict with his party's majority and its SecretaryAlcide De Gasperi,he served as Industry minister in 1944–1946 and as a member of theConstituent Assemblyin 1946. In 1947, as theCold Warbegan, he vehemently opposed his party's decision to expel the ItalianCommunistandSocialistparties from the national government. From 1948 to 1955 he was elected President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies (the lower branch of Parliament).
President (1955–1962)
editIn 1955 Luigi Einaudi's term as first President of the Italian Republic came to an end, and Parliament had to choose his successor. The new Secretary of the DC,Amintore Fanfani,was promoting theliberalCesare Merzagorafor the job, who was then President of theSenate.However the extremeright-wingof the party – led byGiuseppe Pella,Guido Gonella,Salvatore ScocaandGiulio Andreotti– joined hands with the trade-unionist left – led byGiovanni Pastore,Giorgio BoandAchille Marazza– in an "uprising" against the party leadership, in order to get Giovanni Gronchi ( "Parliament's man" ) elected instead. The move had the support of the Communist and Socialist parties, and also of themonarchicandneo-fascistright. After a bitter battle and the final crumbling of thecentristfront, on 29 April 1955 Gronchi waselectedPresident of the Republic with 658 votes out of 883. He was the first Catholic politician to become Head of the Italian State.[3]
His period in office lasted until 1962. It was marked by the ambition to bring about a gradual "opening to the left", whereby the Socialists and the Communist Party would be brought back into the national government, and Italy would abandonNATO,becoming anon-alignedcountry. There was however stiff parliamentary opposition to this project, particularly by the smallItalian Liberal Party,which was deemed a necessary ingredient of any viable majority.
In an attempt to escape the deadlock, in 1959 Gronchi appointed asprime ministera trusted member of his own Catholic left-wing faction,Fernando Tambroni,sending him to Parliament with a "President’s government" but no pre-arranged majority. However, Tambroni found himself surviving in Parliament only thanks toneo-fascistvotes. This unforeseen "opening to the right" had serious consequences. In 1960 there were bad riots in several towns in Italy, particularly atGenoa,LicataandReggio Emilia,where the police opened fire on demonstrators, killing five people. The Tambroni government thus ended in ignominy; forced to resign, it was followed by an all-DC government, with a traditionally centrist parliamentary majority.
The unhappy Tambroni experiment tarnished Gronchi's reputation for good, and until the end of his period of office, he remained a lame-duck President. In 1962 he attempted to get a second mandate, with the powerful help of Enrico Mattei, but the attempt failed andAntonio Segniwas elected instead. As he ceased to be Head of State, he became alife senatorby right, according to the ItalianConstitution.He died in Rome on 17 October 1978 at the age of 91.[4]
Assessment
editFor an overall historical assessment of his presidency, the Tambroni failure must be kept in mind, suggesting an authoritarian approach. An "opening to the left" of sorts happened soon after his mandate was over; the firstcentre-leftcoalition was formed byAldo Moroas soon as 1964, when the Socialists (but not the Communists) entered the government. In the 1970s, the Christian Democrats and Communists made efforts toward what was called theHistoric Compromise.On this basis, he might be credited with some important foresight and a lasting influence. Still, it is hard to maintain that his political project had really very much to do with the center-left governments that followed each other between 1964 and 1992. During most of this period, the Communists were isolated even more tightly than before, due to the loss of their former Socialist allies and the bitter conflict that followed them, particularly afterBettino Craxibecame the Socialist leader. Outside influences were later revealed to be at work as well. A 2000 Parliament Commission report concluded that the strategy and operations by the clandestine, US-supported, "stay-behind"Gladiowas designed to "stop the PCI, and to a certain degree also the PSI [Italian Socialist Party], from achieving executive power in the country".[5][6][7]In any case, Italy kept its socio-economic structure as amarket economyand its foreign policy alignment.
Personal life
editIn 1941, Gronchi married Carla Bissatini (2 September 1912 – 14 August 1993)[8]and had one son and one daughter.
In theFlorestano Vancini's filmThe Assassination of Matteotti(1973), Gronchi is played by Giorgio Favretto.
Electoral history
edit| Election | House | Constituency | Party | Votes | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | Chamber of Deputies | Pisa | PPI | — |  Elected
| |
| 1921 | Chamber of Deputies | Pisa | PPI | — | Elected
| |
| 1924 | Chamber of Deputies | Pisa | PPI | — | Elected
| |
| 1946 | Constituent Assembly | Pisa–Livorno–Lucca–Massa Carrara | DC | 47,424 | Elected
| |
| 1948 | Chamber of Deputies | Pisa–Livorno–Lucca–Massa Carrara | DC | 68,808 | Elected
| |
| 1953 | Chamber of Deputies | Pisa–Livorno–Lucca–Massa Carrara | DC | 62,099 | Elected
| |
Presidential elections
edit| 1955 presidential election(4th ballot) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Supported by | Votes | % | |
| Giovanni Gronchi | DC,PSI,PCI,PSDI,PRI,MSI | 658 | 78.1 | |
| Luigi Einaudi | PLI | 70 | 8.4 | |
| Others / Invalid votes | 103 | 13.5 | ||
| Total | 833 | 100.0 | ||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Rizzo, Tito Lucrezio (23 October 2012).Parla il Capo dello Stato: sessanta anni di vita repubblicana attraverso il Quirinale 1946-2006.Gangemi Editore spa.ISBN9788849274608.Retrieved29 January2018– via Google Books.
- ^Françoise Boucek (2012).Factional Politics. How Dominant Parties Implode or Stabilize.Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 146.doi:10.1057/9781137283924.ISBN978-0-230-01993-5.
- ^"Italy: Danger on the Left".Time.9 May 1955.
- ^"Giovanni Gronchi Dies".18 October 1978.Retrieved29 January2018– via www.WashingtonPost.com.
- ^"Commissione parlamentare d'inchiesta sul terrorismo in Italia e sulle cause della mancata individuazione dei responsabili delle stragi (1995 Parliamentary Commission of Investigation on Terrorism in Italy and on the Causes of the Failing of the Arrests of the Responsibles of the Bombings)"(PDF)(in Italian). 1995. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 19 August 2006.Retrieved2 May2006.
- ^"Strage di Piazza Fontana – spunta un agente Usa"(in Italian).La Repubblica.11 February 1998.Retrieved2 May2006.It includes links to juridical sentences and Parliamentary Report by the Italian Commission on Terrorism.
- ^(in English, Italian, French, and German)"Secret Warfare: Operation Gladio and NATO's Stay-Behind Armies".Swiss Federal Institute of Technology / International Relation and Security Network. Archived fromthe originalon 25 April 2006.Retrieved2 May2006.
- ^"MORTA A ROMA LA VEDOVA DI GRONCHI - la Repubblica.it".Repubblica.it.15 August 1993.Retrieved29 January2018.
External links
edit- Quirinale (Italian)
Media related toGiovanni Gronchiat Wikimedia Commons
Books
edit- (it)Igino Giordani,Alcide De Gasperi il ricostruttore,Rome: Edizioni Cinque Lune, 1955.
- (it)Giulio Andreotti,De Gasperi e il suo tempo,Milan: Mondadori, 1956.
- Paul Ginsborg,A History of Contemporary Italy,Penguin Books, 1990 (lengthy account of post-war events in Italy from a rather heavily biased left-wing point of view; Gronchi's election and its peculiar political circumstances are not covered; the Tambroni affair is narrated, but Gronchi's role in it is glossed over).
- (it) Indro Montanelli and Mario Cervi,L'Italia del Novecento,Rizzoli, 1998 (in Italian; a somewhat journalistic account of twentieth-century Italy, from a liberal point of view).
- (it) S. Bertelli (ed.)Scritti e discorsi su Giovanni Gronchi a vent'anni dalla morte (1998),Giardini, 2000 (in Italian; mostly eulogies by old friends).
- (it)Nico Perrone,Il segno della DC,Bari: Dedalo Libri, 2002,ISBN88-220-6253-1.