Proletarian Democracy
Democrazia Proletaria
AbbreviationDP
General SecretaryMario Capanna
Giovanni Russo Spena
Founded1975 (as coalition)
13 April 1978 (as party)
Dissolved9 June 1991
Split fromProletarian Unity Party
Merged intoCommunist Refoundation Party
NewspaperQuotidiano dei lavoratori
Membershipmax: 10,310 (1988)
min: 2,500 (1979)
IdeologyCommunism[1]
Trotskyism[2]
Eco-socialism[3]
Anti-Stalinism
Pacifism[4]
Political positionFar-left[5][6]
European Parliament groupTechnical Group of Independents (1979–84)
Rainbow Group (1984–89)
Green Group (1989-94)
Colours  Red
Website
democraziaproletaria.it

Proletarian Democracy (Italian: Democrazia Proletaria, DP) was a far-left political party in Italy.

History

1970s

DP was founded in 1975 as a joint electoral front of the Proletarian Unity Party (PdUP), Workers Vanguard (AO) and the "Workers Movement for Socialism" (MLS), for the 1975 Italian regional elections. At the local level, smaller groups joined, such as the "Marxist-Leninist Communist Organization", "Revolutionary Communist Groups - IV International" and the "League of the Communists".

DP took part in the 1976 elections, winning 556,022 votes (1.51%) and 6 seats in the election to the Chamber of Deputies. On 13 April 1978, DP was transformed into a political party. The move to make DP into a real political party was pushed through by the minority wing of PdUP, led by journalist Vittorio Foa and Silvano Miniati; the majority of AO, led by Massimo Gorla and Luigi Vinci; and the League of the Communists, led by Romano Luporini.

The main figure of DP was the charismatic Mario Capanna, a former student leader associated with the 1968 New Left movement.

The strongholds of DP were the industrial cities of Northern Italy, which had strong leftist traditions. DP was opposed to the so-called 'historic compromise' between the Italian Communist Party and the Christian Democrats.

During the 1978 electoral campaign, Peppino Impastato, a leading DP member from Sicily, was murdered by the Mafia.

In the 1979 elections for the European Parliament, DP won 1 seat in the Technical Group of Independents group.

1980s

In the 1983 Italian general election DP won 542,039 votes (1.47%) and 7 seats in the election to the Chamber of Deputies. In the 1987 general election DP won 642,161 votes (1.66%) and 8 seats in the election to the Chamber of Deputies. In the same year DP won 493,667 votes (1.52%) and one seat in the election to the Senate.

In 1987 Capanna stepped down, and Giovanni Russo Spena became the secretary of DP. Two years later, the DP suffered a split, as a section led by Capanna launched their own list on ahead of the elections to the European Parliament, in association with leading Radicals, called the Rainbow Greens.

1990s

On 9 June 1991 the congress of DP in Riccione decided to merge the party into the Communist Refoundation Movement, which became the Communist Refoundation Party.[7]

Election results

Italian Parliament

Chamber of Deputies
Election year Votes % Seats +/− Leader
1976 557,025 (7th) 1.5
6 / 630
–
1979 294,462 (10th) 0.8[lower-alpha 1]
0 / 630
Decrease 6
1983 542,039 (9th) 1.5
7 / 630
Increase 7
1987 641,901 (11th) 1.7
8 / 630
Increase 1
  1. ↑ Ran as "New United Left". The Proletarian Unity Party, part of DP in 1976, ran separately and obtained 502,247 votes, 1.4% of the vote and 6 seats.
Senate of the Republic
Election year Votes % Seats +/− Leader
1976 78,170 (11th) 0.3
0 / 315
–
1979 410,048 (9th) 1.3[lower-alpha 1]
0 / 315
–
1983 327,750 (10th) 1.1
0 / 315
–
1987 493,667 (11th) 1.5
1 / 315
Increase 1
  1. ↑ Ran as "New United Left", in most constituencies in alliance with the Radical Party.

European Parliament

European Parliament
Election year Votes % Seats +/− Leader
1979 252,342 (10th) 0.7
1 / 81
–
1984 506,753 (8th) 1.4
1 / 81
–
1989 449,639 (10th) 1.3
1 / 81
–
Giovanni Russo Spena

Regional elections

Regions of Italy
Election year Votes % Seats +/− Leader
1975 271,216 (8th) 0.9
4 / 720
–
1980 274,100 (9th) 0.9
2 / 720
Decrease 2
1985 470,626 (9th) 1.5
9 / 720
Increase 7
1990 308,650 (13th) 1.0
4 / 720
Decrease 5
Giovanni Russo Spena

References

  1. ↑ "Treccani - la cultura italiana | Treccani, il portale del sapere".
  2. ↑ Gli ultimi Mohicani. Una storia di Democrazia Proletaria, Matteo Pucciarelli, 2011
  3. ↑ "Treccani - la cultura italiana | Treccani, il portale del sapere".
  4. ↑ "Treccani - la cultura italiana | Treccani, il portale del sapere".
  5. ↑ Geoff Eley (2002). Forging Democracy: The History of the Left in Europe, 1850-2000. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199878772.
  6. ↑ Paul Furlong (2003). Modern Italy: Representation and Reform. Taylor & Francis. p. 5. ISBN 9781134979837.
  7. ↑ Gino Moliterno, ed. (2002). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Italian Culture. Routledge. p. 238. ISBN 978-1-134-75877-7.
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