24 Facts About Enrico Berlinguer

Enrico Berlinguer described his alternative model of socialism, distinct from both the Soviet bloc and the capitalism practiced by Western countries during the Cold War, as terza via; his usage of the term has no relation to the more centrist Third Way practiced by subsequent Prime Ministers Romano Prodi and Matteo Renzi.

Enrico Berlinguer took a firm stand against terrorism after the kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro, and used the PCI's influence to steer Italian labour unions towards moderating wage demands to cope with the country's severe inflation rate after the 1973 oil crisis.

The PCI remained in national opposition for the rest of Enrico Berlinguer's tenure, retaining a solid core of support at the 1983 Italian general election; its main strength from that point would remain at the regional and local level.

Enrico Berlinguer had an austere and modest but charismatic personality, and despite the difficulties that confronted the PCI during the Historic Compromise, he remained a popular politician, respected for his principles, conviction, and bold stands.

Enrico Berlinguer characterised the PCI as an honest party in Italy's corruption-ravaged politics, an image that preserved the party's reputation during the Mani pulite corruption scandals.

Enrico Berlinguer was characterised by Patrick McCarthy as "the last great communist leader in Western Europe", and remains identified with the causes of Eurocommunism, opposition to Soviet repression in Eastern Europe, and democratic change in Italy.

The son of Mario Berlinguer and Maria Loriga, Enrico Berlinguer was born in Sassari on 25 May 1922 to a noble Sardinian family in a notable cultural context, with family ties and political contacts that would heavily influence his life and career.

Enrico Berlinguer's surname is of Catalan origin, a reminder of the period when Sardinia was part of the dominions of the Crown of Aragon.

Enrico Berlinguer was a second cousin of Francesco Cossiga and both were relatives of Antonio Segni, another Christian Democrat leader and President of the Republic.

In 1937, Enrico Berlinguer had his first contacts with Sardinian anti-fascists and formally entered the Italian Communist Party in 1943, soon becoming the secretary of the Sassari section.

Enrico Berlinguer was sent to Milan, and he was appointed to the Central Committee as a member in 1945.

Enrico Berlinguer's career was obviously carrying him towards the highest positions in the party.

Enrico Berlinguer refused to "excommunicate" the Chinese communists and directly told Leonid Brezhnev that the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw Pact countries had made clear the considerable differences within the communist movement on fundamental questions such as national sovereignty, socialist democracy and the freedom of culture.

Already a prominent leader in the party, Enrico Berlinguer was elected to the position of national secretary in 1972 when Luigi Longo resigned on grounds of ill health.

In 1973, having been hospitalized after a car accident during a visit to Bulgaria, Enrico Berlinguer wrote three famous articles for the intellectual weekly magazine of the party, Rinascita.

In 1976, Enrico Berlinguer confirmed the autonomous position of the PCI vis-a-vis the Soviet Communist Party.

When Enrico Berlinguer finally secured the PCI's condemnation of any kind of "interference", the rupture with the Soviets was effectively complete.

Enrico Berlinguer supported the election of the veteran Socialist Sandro Pertini as President of Italy, but his presidency did not produce the effects that the PCI had hoped for.

Enrico Berlinguer personally took part in electoral campaigns in the provinces and local councils.

In 1981, Enrico Berlinguer said that in his personal opinion "the progressive force of the October Revolution had been exhausted".

Enrico Berlinguer's last major statement was a call for the solidarity among the leftist parties.

Enrico Berlinguer's death took place six days before Italy's part of the 1984 European Parliament election.

Enrico Berlinguer has been described in many ways, but he was generally recognised for political coherence and courage, together with a rare personal and political intelligence.

Enrico Berlinguer's funeral was attended by a large number of people, perhaps among the highest ever seen in Rome.