Proletarian Democracy

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Proletarian Democracy
Democrazia Proletaria
AbbreviationDP
General SecretaryMario Capanna
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 positionLeft-wing to Far-left
European Parliament groupTechnical Group of Independents (1979–84)
Rainbow Group (1984–89)
Green Group (1989-94)
Colours  Red
Website
www.democraziaproletaria.it

Proletarian Democracy (Italian: Democrazia Proletaria, DP) was a Left-wing 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 April 13, 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 militant 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 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.[5]

Election results[]

Italian Parliament[]

Chamber of Deputies
Election year Votes % Seats +/− Leader
1976 557,025 (7th) 1.5
6 / 630
–
Mario Capanna
1979 294,462 (10th) 0.8[a]
0 / 630
Decrease 6
Mario Capanna
1983 542,039 (9th) 1.5
7 / 630
Increase 7
Mario Capanna
1987 641,901 (11th) 1.7
8 / 630
Increase 1
Mario Capanna
  1. ^ Ran as "New United Left". The Proletarian Unity Party, part of DP in 1976, ran separately and obatined 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
–
Mario Capanna
1979 410,048 (9th) 1.3[a]
0 / 315
–
Mario Capanna
1983 327,750 (10th) 1.1
0 / 315
–
Mario Capanna
1987 493,667 (11th) 1.5
1 / 315
Increase 1
Mario Capanna
  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
–
Mario Capanna
1984 506,753 (8th) 1.4
1 / 81
–
Mario Capanna
1989 449,639 (10th) 1.3
1 / 81
–
Mario Capanna

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. ^ Gino Moliterno, ed. (2002). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Italian Culture. Routledge. p. 238. ISBN 978-1-134-75877-7.
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