La Pira in the eyes of the Communists

Journal title ITALIA CONTEMPORANEA
Author/s Gianluca Lacoppola
Publishing Year 2013 Issue 2013/270 Language Italian
Pages 44 P. 33-76 File size 464 KB
DOI 10.3280/IC2013-270003
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La Pira was Mayor of Florence for as many as fifteen years, from 1951 to 1965, and during this considerable stretch of time the local Pci caucus was confronted with a complex competitor, capable of wielding together what appeared to be a mix of rather contradictory elements. As a consequence, the Communist attitude would often change in the course of the years, swaying from an initial underestimation of his figure (seen as a mere disguisement of reaction) to an all-out fascination in front of his commitment to the social and workers’ cause. Since 1956 the communists changed once more their mind, reducing "Lapirism" to a simple "variant of Catholic fundamentalism" to be duly fought and challenged. With the advent of the Centre-Left experience, thanks to which La Pira regained the lead of the city government after four years under commissioner rule, the Pci organs confirmed their criticism toward the "holy Mayor", though aligning themselves with his most courageous positions. The anxiety the communists showed in trying to correct and re-define their appraisements concerning "Lapirism" was symptomatic of a sort of analytic weakness which precluded them from understanding La Pira’s personality to the full.

Keywords: La Pira, Dc, Mayor of Florence, Cold War, Pci, Centre-Left

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Gianluca Lacoppola, La Pira visto dai comunisti in "ITALIA CONTEMPORANEA" 270/2013, pp 33-76, DOI: 10.3280/IC2013-270003