2. Alcide De Gasperi (3 April 1881 – 19 August 1954) was an Italian statesman and
politician and founder of the Christian Democratic Party. From 1945 to 1953 he
was the prime minister of eight successive coalition governments. His eight-year
term in office remains a landmark of political longevity for a leader in modern
Italian politics. A conservative Catholic, he was one of the Founding fathers of
the European Union, along with the Frenchman Robert Schuman and the West
German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer.
Christian Democratic Party

3. EARLY YEARS
De Gasperi was born in Pieve Tesino in Tyrol, which at that time belonged
to Austria-Hungary, now part of the Trentino in Italy. In 1900 he joined the
Faculty of Literature and Philosophy in Vienna, where he played an important
role in the inception of the Christian student movement. In 1911 he became a
Member of Parliament for the Popular Political Union of Trentine in
the Austrian Reichsrat, a post he held for 6 years. He was politically neutral
during World War I

4. FOUNDING THE CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY
During World War II, he organized the establishment of the first Christian
Democracy party, drawing upon the ideology of the Popular Party. In January
1943, he published "Ideas for reconstruction” which amounted to a party
programme for the party. He became the first general secretary of the new party
in 1944.
De Gasperi was the undisputed head of the Christian Democrats, the party that
dominated Parliament for the next decades. Although his control of the DC
appeared almost complete, he had to carefully balance of different factions and
interests, especially over relations with the Vatican, over social reform, and over
foreign policy.

5. 1948 elections
The general elections in April 1948 were heavily influenced by the cold-war
confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States.
The election campaign remains unmatched in verbal aggression and
fanaticism in Italy's history on both sides. The Catholic Church in Italy worked
hard to encourage people to vote against communist candidates. The Christian
Democratic propaganda became famous.
In the US a campaign was launched to prevent a victory of the Communist
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) funneled "black bag" contributions to
anti-communist.
92.2%
Majority Minority
party party
Leader Alcide De Palmiro
Gasperi Togliatti
Party Christian Popular Front
Democracy

6. DEATH AND LEGACY
In 1952, the party overwhelmingly endorsed his authority over the government and
over the party. However, it was also the start of his decline. He came under increasing
criticism from the emerging left wing in the party. Their main accusations were that he
was too cautious in social and economic reform, that he stifled debate, and that he
subordinated the party to the interests of government.
When the Christian Democrats did not gain a majority in the elections of 1953, De
Gasperi was unable to establish a workable government and was forced to resign as
Prime Minister. The following year he also had to give up the leadership of the party.
Two months later, on 19 August 1954, he died in Sella di Valsugana, in his beloved
Trentino. He is buried in the Basilica di San Lorenzo Fuori le Mura, a basilica in
Rome. The process for his beatification was opened in 1993.

7. Europeanism was, undoubtedly, the most significant aspect of the last years
of activity
De Gasperi policy. As Robert Schuman and Konrad Adenauer, the
other two "fathers of Europe", was a frontiersman, was Catholic and was
convinced that the European peoples had a common heritage of spiritual
and moral values ​to share the same Christian origin. But it was not easy to
move from this conviction to a concrete policy for the union of the
European countries.

8. In the first years after World War II, De Gasperi did not think that this idea
was paramount: so were other concerns, as reading can check the official
programs of the Christian Democrats. Only at the end of “The ideas of the
Christian Democratic reconstructive”, is mentioned a
"community”, Europe, "in which Italy could collaborate" with loyalty“ This
reference, however, seemed more oriented to define the geographical area in
which Italy should "restore its function secular civilizing“ that the possibility
of supranational institutions.
De Gasperi was convinced that Europe was the only way to solve the
problems of countries. In their cultural elements found to give political and
ideological weight to your idea and become one of the most tireless and
consistent advocates the unification of the continent.

9. And his Catholic faith meant a natural predisposition to ecumenism and
universality, political experiences in the multinational Habsburg Empire and
the careful analysis of international events of the thirties from the vantage
point of the Vatican he was guaranteed opening ideas and sensitivity to
international relations rare among posfascismo Italian politicians. From late
1949 multiplied interventions De Gasperi Europeans, already announced in
his speech in Brussels on 20 November 1948, entitled "The moral basis of
democracy."

10. The facts gave strength to the proposals European. De Gasperi insisted and found
much internationally resistance to Italy could participate in at least the last phase
negotiations in May 1949 that led to the Council of Europe. In May 1950 agreed
that Italy could join immediately to negotiations on the plan Schuman, the April
18, 1951 led to the creation of the first European: the European Coal and Steel
Community (ECSC). The instructions given to Paolo Emilio Taviani, head of the
Italian delegation, required that the delegation should have "a posture
European fair “ and also seek the participation of Great Britain in the agreement.

11. De Gasperi supported him, it was because, as he has said, he was
convinced that European unity would be through the army or the
currency, it was because he saw immediately Europeans possibilities
that hid the plan. It was the right time to start limited integration to the
military aspects only and reach an integration economic policy and
simplify the solution of the traditional problems of delay of the
peninsula. The biggest problem was to make the public understand
Italian, in his most still insensitive to the ideal Europeanist.