Alessandro Natta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alessandro Natta
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| General Secretary of the Italian Communist Party | |
| In office 24 June 1984 – 10 June 1988 |
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| Preceded by | Enrico Berlinguer |
| Succeeded by | Achille Occhetto |
| Member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 1987–1992 |
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| Constituency | Liguria-III |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 January 1918 Imperia, Italy |
| Died | 23 May 2001 (aged 83) Imperia, Italy |
| Political party | Italian Communist Party |
Alessandro Natta (born January 7, 1918 – died May 23, 2001) was an important Italian politician. He is best known for being the leader, or General Secretary, of the Italian Communist Party (PCI) from 1984 to 1988. He played a key role in Italian politics during a time of big changes.
Contents
Alessandro Natta: A Leader in Italian Politics
Early Life and War Heroism
Alessandro Natta was born in a town called Imperia, Italy. He went to a special school in Pisa, where he studied alongside Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, who later became Italy's President. Even as a young man, Natta was against Benito Mussolini's Fascist government.
During World War II, Natta was sent to Greece. When Italy stopped fighting alongside Germany, there was a lot of confusion. Natta helped defend an airport in Rhodes from German attacks. He was captured by the Germans. Even though he was a prisoner, he refused to help them or the Italian government that worked with Germany. Because of this, he was held in a prison camp in Rhodes and later sent to a camp in Germany.
Joining the Communist Party
Natta finally returned to Italy in August 1945, after the war ended. He joined the Italian Communist Party (PCI) in his hometown of Imperia. He dedicated all his time to working for the party. He became a local council member and then led the party's local group. Over time, he became a very important person in the party's main leadership.
Natta strongly believed in the "Italian road to Socialism". This idea meant that Italy should find its own way to a socialist society, different from other countries. He was a close friend and supporter of Enrico Berlinguer, who was the party's leader before him. Natta became part of the party's top leadership group.
Leading the Party
In 1984, after Enrico Berlinguer passed away, Alessandro Natta was chosen to be the new leader of the Italian Communist Party. He continued to follow Berlinguer's ideas for the party. He also tried to make the party's relationship with the Communist Party of the Soviet Union better, as it had become tense. To do this, he supported a trip to the Soviet Union organized by another party member, Armando Cossutta. This trip caused some debate within the party.
A Party Divides
Natta was confirmed as the party leader at a big meeting in Florence in 1986. However, in 1988, he had to step down because of a heart attack. Achille Occhetto took over as the new leader.
Later, Occhetto suggested changing the party's name. This idea caused a big disagreement, known as the "Bolognina split." Natta, along with Armando Cossutta, strongly disagreed with changing the party's name.
Occhetto's idea won, and the Italian Communist Party eventually split into two different groups. The larger group became the Democratic Party of the Left, led by Occhetto. The smaller, more traditional group became the Communist Refoundation Party. This new party was started by Cossutta and others. Alessandro Natta decided to stay with the main party, the Democratic Party of the Left. He was not very hopeful about the future of the new communist party.
See Also
In Spanish: Alessandro Natta para niños
