Pionieri della democrazia cristiana

The Leap of Faith

“…In the white regions of Lombardy, Piedmont, and Veneto, over 80 percent of the population attended mass on a regular basis in the 1950s (in contrast to 50 percent as the national average). Social and economic life was centered around the local parish and "religion, social life and economic development all seemed closely intertwined" (Galli 1978). In the 1950s and 1960s, on literally every main square in Italian villages, a visitor would find the local office of the Christian Democrats next to the church, usually boasting an attached bar with a license to serve alcohol.…”

“…In the 1950s and 1960s, on literally every main square in Italian villages, a visitor would find the local office of the Christian Democrats next to the church, usually boasting an attached bar with a license to serve alcohol. Through its strong local roots, facilitated both through the Catholic clergy and the local party apparatus, the party was able to create a direct connection to Rome to make sure that local demands were met (Galli 1978). Thanks to the Christian Democrats, the Italian state was for the first time becoming locally tangible for its citizens and could achieve legitimacy (Galli 1978).…”

“…Through its strong local roots, facilitated both through the Catholic clergy and the local party apparatus, the party was able to create a direct connection to Rome to make sure that local demands were met (Galli 1978). Thanks to the Christian Democrats, the Italian state was for the first time becoming locally tangible for its citizens and could achieve legitimacy (Galli 1978). This was a very different relationship between citizens and state than during the liberal period when political elites were constantly afraid of the Catholic rank and file and therefore did not extend the franchise beyond 4 percent.…”

Alcide De Gasperi and the problem of reconstruction

“…And yet, in spite of the numerous historical studies on the transition from Fascism to democracy and the stabilisation of the political system in the post-Second World War period, the figure of De Gasperi as a statesman and politician has been overlooked for too long. Except for the writings and the collections edited by Maria Romana De Gasperi (1969a, 1969b, 1974a, 1974b, 1980, 1999, 2003a, 2003b and some contributions of a reflective type, the De Gasperi of the 'third phase' has for a long time been read and interpreted only through the lens of the history of his party, the Christian Democrats, the dialectics that drove its internal debate (Giordani 1955;Andreotti 1956;Gonella 1962;Rossini 1974), the political and cultural aspects of the new Catholic executive class (Scoppola 1975;Tassani 1976;Moro 1979;Giovagnoli 1982Giovagnoli , 1991Traniello 1983) or, more generally, the history of Republican Italy in its different forms, connected to the evolution of the domestic and international picture (Galati 1955;Gambino 1975;Galli 1978;Isnenghi and Lanaro 1978;Di Lalla 1979-1982Malgeri 1987Malgeri -1995Giovagnoli 1996). This approach, addressed to reconstructing the history of the 'First Republic' almost exclusively in terms of the supremacy of the mass parties, in many ways delayed a more purposeful analysis of the personal contribution that De Gasperi had made to the birth of the Republic, as well as to the definition of the architecture of the Republican State.…”