Ugo La Malfa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ugo La Malfa
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
La Malfa in 1976
|
|
| Minister of Transports | |
| In office 17 June 1945 – 8 December 1945 |
|
| Prime Minister | Ferruccio Parri |
| Preceded by | Francesco Cerabona |
| Succeeded by | Riccardo Lombardi |
| Secretary-general of PRI | |
| In office 1965–1975 |
|
| Preceded by | Oddo Biasini |
| Succeeded by | Oddo Biasini |
| Member of the Constituent Assembly | |
| In office 25 June 1946 – 31 January 1948 |
|
| Constituency | Single national constituency |
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 8 May 1948 – 26 March 1979 |
|
| Constituency | Bologna (1948–1976) |
| Constituency | Roma (1976–1979) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 May 1903 Palermo, Italy |
| Died | 26 March 1979 (aged 75) Rome, Italy |
| Political party | PdA (1942–1946) CDR (1946) PRI (1946–1979) |
| Children | Giorgio |
| Residences | Rome, Italy |
| Alma mater | Ca' Foscari University of Venice |
| Profession | Politics Journalist |
Ugo La Malfa (born May 16, 1903 – died March 26, 1979) was an important Italian politician. He was a key leader of the Italian Republican Party (Partito Repubblicano Italiano; PRI). He played a big role in shaping Italy after World War II.
Early Life and Fighting Fascism
Ugo La Malfa was born in Palermo, Sicily. He went to Ca' Foscari University in Venice. There, he studied diplomatic sciences.
While at university, he met people who were part of the republican movement. He also joined groups that were against fascism. Fascism was a political system led by Benito Mussolini that took away people's freedoms. In 1924, La Malfa moved to Rome. He helped start a group called the Goliardic Union for Freedom. This group was later made illegal by Mussolini's government.
In 1929, he started working for the Treccani Encyclopaedia. Later, in 1933, he joined the Italian Commercial Bank. He became a director there in 1938. During this time, he showed he was good at economics and leadership. He also connected different groups who were against fascism. These groups later formed the Partito d'Azione (Action Party).
In 1943, La Malfa had to leave Italy to avoid being arrested. He went to Switzerland. There, he talked with British officials. He tried to find a way for Italy to leave the war peacefully. Later, he returned to Rome to join the Italian resistance movement. This movement fought against the fascist government.
A Career in the Republic
After World War II, Italy began to rebuild. In 1945, Ugo La Malfa became the Minister of Transportation. In the next government, he was the Minister of Reconstruction. This job was later called Minister of International Commerce.
In 1946, La Malfa left the Action Party. He then helped create the Republican Democratic Concentration. This group supported making Italy a republic. La Malfa was elected to the Constituent Assembly of Italy. This assembly helped write Italy's new constitution. He then joined the Italian Republican Party (PRI).
In 1947, he represented Italy at the International Monetary Fund. He became the vice president of the Fund the next year. He was re-elected to the parliament in 1948. He held many important jobs. In 1951, he became the Minister of Foreign Trade. He worked to make Italy's economy more open. He also lowered taxes on imported goods. This work was very important for Italy's "economic miracle." This was a time when Italy's economy grew very fast.
In 1959, La Malfa became the director of the Republican Party's newspaper, La Voce Repubblicana. In 1962, he was named Minister of the Budget. He introduced a plan called the Nota Aggiuntiva. This plan looked at Italy's economy and how to make it fairer. He also decided to make the electricity industry owned by the government. This was a big change.
In 1965, he was elected the party secretary of the Republican Party. He started talking with other political parties, including the communists. He wanted them to work together to help Italy.
During the 1970s, the Republican Party played a small but important role in Italy's government. La Malfa often made tough decisions. He sometimes refused government jobs if he felt the plans were not good enough. In 1973, he became Minister of the Treasury. He made important decisions about banks that helped the economy.
In 1976, La Malfa helped bring the Republican Party into a larger European group. This group later became the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party. In 1978, he helped Italy decide to join the European Monetary System. This system helped keep the value of money stable across European countries.
After a sad event involving his friend Aldo Moro, La Malfa gave a powerful speech. He spoke strongly against violence and terrorism. In early 1979, he was nominated to be Prime Minister. He was the first politician from a non-religious party to reach this stage. However, he could not form a government. He later became Deputy Prime Minister.
Ugo La Malfa passed away in Rome on March 26, 1979, at the age of 75.
La Malfa's Legacy
Many people called Ugo La Malfa "the needle." This meant he helped hold the Italian republic together. He was good at finding ways for different political parties to work with each other. He believed it was important for all parties, even those with many seats in parliament, to be part of governing.
His ideas about the economy were often new and bold. For example, he thought a common European money system was a good idea. These ideas helped Italy's economy grow very fast for many years. He also worked to improve roads and other important structures in southern Italy. This has helped trade there for a long time.
To honor him, a square in Rome was renamed Piazzale Ugo La Malfa. His hometown of Palermo also named a street after him, Via Ugo La Malfa.
His son, Giorgio La Malfa, is also a politician. He became the president of the PRI, his father's party.
See also
- Italian Republican Party
