Movatterモバイル変換


[0]ホーム

URL:


Jump to content
WikipediaThe Free Encyclopedia
Search

Bettino Craxi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Italian politician (1934–2000)

Bettino Craxi
Official portrait, 1989
Prime Minister of Italy
In office
4 August 1983 – 18 April 1987
PresidentSandro Pertini
Francesco Cossiga
DeputyArnaldo Forlani
Preceded byAmintore Fanfani
Succeeded byAmintore Fanfani
Secretary of the Italian Socialist Party
In office
15 July 1976 – 12 February 1993
Preceded byFrancesco De Martino
Succeeded byGiorgio Benvenuto
Member of theChamber of Deputies
In office
5 June 1968 – 15 April 1994
ConstituencyMilan (1968–83; 1992–94)
Naples (1983–92)
Member of the European Parliament
In office
25 July 1989 – 30 June 1992
ConstituencyNorth-West Italy
In office
17 July 1979 – 4 August 1983
ConstituencyNorth-West Italy
Personal details
BornBenedetto Craxi
(1934-02-24)24 February 1934
Died19 January 2000(2000-01-19) (aged 65)
Hammamet, Tunisia
PartyItalian Socialist Party
Spouse
Anna Maria Moncini
(m. 1959)
ChildrenBobo Craxi
Stefania Craxi
EducationUniversity of Milan (attended)
Signature

Benedetto "Bettino"Craxi (UK:/ˈkræksi/KRAK-see,[1]Italian:[betˈtiːnoˈkraksi],Sicilian:[ˈkɾaʃʃɪ];[2] 24 February 1934 – 19 January 2000)[3] was an Italian politician and statesman, leader of theItalian Socialist Party (PSI) from 1976 to 1993, and the 45thprime minister of Italy from 1983 to 1987. He was the first PSI member to become prime minister and the second from asocialist party to hold the office. He led the fourth-longest government in theItalian Republic and he is considered one of the most influential politicians of theFirst Italian Republic.[4]

Craxi was involved in investigations conducted byMani pulite judges inMilan, eventually being convicted forpolitical corruption and illicit financing of the PSI.[5] He always rejected the charges of corruption while admitting to the illegal funding that permitted costly political activity, the PSI being less financially powerful than the two larger parties,Christian Democracy (DC) and theItalian Communist Party (PCI).[6] Craxi's government and party were also supported by future Prime MinisterSilvio Berlusconi, a media magnate and personal friend of Craxi.[7][8]

Craxi maintained strong links with many leaders of the Western European left, includingFrançois Mitterrand,Felipe González,Andreas Papandreou, andMário Soares, and was one of the main representatives of Western European socialism.[9][10][11] Craxi's supporters especially praised his foreign policy, which was assertive and often led to confrontations with the United States, on issues such asPalestinian territories,terrorism, and Craxi's close relations withArab socialist governments.[12]

Craxi was often nicknamed by his detractorsil Cinghialone ('The Big Boar') due to his physical size.[13][14] This name was given him by his long-time ally and rival at the same time, DC leaderGiulio Andreotti.[15]

Early life

[edit]

Craxi was born inMilan on 24 February 1934.[16] His father Vittorio Craxi was aSicilian lawyer andanti-fascist who was persecuted by the regime ofBenito Mussolini while his mother Maria Ferrari was a housewife fromSant'Angelo Lodigiano.[16] DuringWorld War II, the young Craxi was sent to theCatholic collegeEdmondo De Amicis due to his unruly character and to protect him fromfascist violence in retaliation for his father's anti-fascist activities.[17][failed verification]

After the war, his father assumed the role of vice-prefect in Milan and then the prefect inComo, where he moved with his family in 1945. A few months later, Craxi returned to college, first in Como and then inCantù, where he considered entering a seminary.[18] Craxi's father stood in the1948 Italian general election for thePopular Democratic Front, a political alliance between theItalian Socialist Party (PSI) and theItalian Communist Party (PCI). He campaigned for his father and later joined the PSI at the age of 17.[19]

Early political career

[edit]
Craxi during the 1960s in his first years as deputy

Craxi was precocious and rose to many levels of public office at an early age. Meanwhile, he attended the faculty of Law inUniversity of Milan and then the faculty of Political Science inUrbino, Craxi founded the "Socialist University Nucleus" joining the "New University" group and adhering to the CUDI (Italian Democratic University Centre), the student group that supported theleft-wing forces.[20]

During this period he engaged for the first time in public speaking, organizing conferences, debates, and film screenings, and in 1956 he became part of the PSI Provincial Committee in Milan, and leader of the Socialist Youth Federation.[21]

In 1956, following theSoviet invasion of Hungary, Craxi with a group of loyalists committed himself to the detachment of the Socialist Party from its pro-Communist policy, but he failed: his proposal to associate the Socialist Youth Movement with the International Organisation of Democratic Youth was rejected.

In November 1956 he was elected town councillor inSant'Angelo Lodigiano (birthplace of his mother), and in 1957 he was elected to the Central Committee of the PSI representing the autonomist current ofPietro Nenni.[22]

In 1958 the party sent him toSesto San Giovanni as a responsible of the organization; in November 1960 he was elected city councilor in Milan with more than 1,000 preferences and became assessor in the junta ofGino Cassinis.[23]

In 1961 he was excluded from the Central Committee of the Socialist Party by the new SecretaryFrancesco De Martino. In 1963 he was appointed leader of the Milan Provincial Secretariat of the PSI and in 1965 Craxi became a member of the National Leadership. Meanwhile, in November 1964, he was re-elected city councillor in Milan, continuing his public commitment as assessor for Charity and Assistance in the council ofPietro Bucalossi.[24]

In 1966, with the formation of theUnified Socialist Party, a political alliance between the Socialist Party and theSocial Democratic Party, Craxi became provincial secretary of the PSU in Milan, along with by the social democrat Enrico Rizzi and Renzo Peruzzotti.[25]

In1968 general election Craxi was elected for the first time at theChamber of Deputies with 23,788 votes, in the constituency ofMilanPavia. In 1970 after the end of the PSU alliance, Craxi became Vice Secretary of the PSI, as proposed byGiacomo Mancini.

During this period he was a strong supporters of theOrganic Centre-left coalition, between theChristian Democrats ofAldo Moro andAmintore Fanfani, the Socialists ofPietro Nenni, theSocial Democrats ofGiuseppe Saragat and theRepublicans ofUgo La Malfa.[26]

In 1972 with the re-election ofFrancesco De Martino as National Secretary of the Socialist Party during theGenoa Congress, Craxi was confirmed with Giovanni Mosca in the role of Deputy Secretary, receiving the commission to treat the international relations of the party. As the representative of PSI at theSocialist International, Craxi formed ties with some of the main European future leaders, likeWilly Brandt,Felipe González,François Mitterrand,Mário Soares,Michel Rocard andAndreas Papandreou.[27]

As responsible for the PSI foreign policy he supported, also financially, some socialist parties banned by the dictatorships of their respective countries, including theSpanish Socialist Workers Party, thePanhellenic Socialist Movement and theChilean Socialist Party ofSalvador Allende, of whom Craxi was a personal friend.[28]

Secretary of the PSI

[edit]

In 1976 the SecretaryFrancesco De Martino wrote an article in the Socialist newspaperAvanti! that caused the fall of the governmentAldo Moro and the subsequentsnap election, which saw an impressive growth of theItalian Communist Party led by a young leader,Enrico Berlinguer, while the Christian Democracy managed to remain the majority party on just a few votes. Instead for the PSI, those elections were a crushing defeat: the votes went down under the threshold of 10%. De Martino, pointing to a new alliance with the Communists, was forced to resign and opened a serious crisis within the party.[29]

Craxi after the election as PSI Secretary in 1976

Craxi was appointed to the vacant position of National Secretary of the party, ending years of factional fighting within the PSI.[30] Ironically, the "old guard" saw him as short-lived leader, allowing each faction time to regroup. However, he was able to consolidate power and implement his policies. In particular, he sought and managed to distance the party from the Communists, bringing it into an alliance with Christian Democracy and other centrist parties, while maintaining a leftist and reformist profile.[31]

Craxi always opposed theHistoric Compromise policy of Moro and Berlinguer, a political alliance and an accommodation between the Christian Democrats and the Communists; the alliance would inevitably make the Socialists politically irrelevant. He outlined for a line of alternation between the DC and the left wing, represented by his party, due to the close relations between the PCI and theSoviet Union.[32]

On the morning of 16 March 1978, the day on which the new cabinet led byGiulio Andreotti was supposed to have undergone aconfidence vote in theItalian Parliament, the car ofAldo Moro, former prime minister and then president of DC was assaulted by a group ofRed Brigadesterrorists in Via Fani inRome.[33] Firing automatic weapons, the terrorists killed Moro's bodyguards and kidnapped him. Craxi was the only political leader, together withAmintore Fanfani andMarco Pannella, to declare himself available to a "humanitarian solution" that would allow the liberation of Christian Democrat statesman, drawing heavy criticism on the so-called "party of firmness", primarily driven by the Communists.[34] On 9 May 1978 Moro's body was found in thetrunk of aRenault 4 in Via Caetani after 55 days of imprisonment, during which Moro was submitted to a political trial by the so-called "people's court" set up by the Brigate Rosse and the Italian government was asked for an exchange of prisoners.[35]

In 1978 Craxi decided to change the party logo. He chose a redcarnation to represent the new course of the party, in honour of theCarnation Revolution inPortugal. The party shrank the size of the old hammer and sickle in the lower part of the symbol. It was eventually eliminated altogether in 1985.[36]

Craxi during a PSI rally

In July 1978, following the resignation of PresidentGiovanni Leone, after a lengthy parliamentary battle, Craxi was able to bring together a large number of votes, electingSandro Pertini, as new President; Pertini was the first Socialist to hold this position. Pertini was also supported by the Communists, which considered the old Socialist partisan not conducive to the "new course" of Craxi.[37]

Craxi, on the one hand explicitly distanced himself fromLeninism referring to forms of authoritarian socialism, and on the other he showed support to the civil society movements and to the battles for civil rights, mainly proposed by theRadical Party, he oversaw its image through the media.[38]

As the leader of PSI, he tried to undermine the Communist Party, which until then had been continuously increasing its votes in elections, and to consolidate the PSI as a modern, stronglypro-European reformist social-democratic party, with deep roots in the democratic left-wing.[39] This strategy called for ending most of the party's historical traditions as a working-classtrade union based party and attempting to gain new support among white-collar and public sector employees. At the same time, the PSI increased its presence in the big state-owned enterprises, and became heavily involved in corruption and illegal party funding which would eventually result in theMani pulite investigations.[40]

Even if the PSI never became a serious electoral challenger either to the PCI or the Christian Democrats, its pivotal position in the political arena allowed it to claim the post of Prime Minister for Craxi after the1983 general election.[41] The electoral support for the Christian Democrats was significantly weakened, leaving it with 32.9% of the vote, compared to the 38.3% it gained in1979. The PSI, which had obtained only 11%, threatened to leave the parliamentary majority unless Craxi was made Prime Minister. The Christian Democrats accepted this compromise to avoid a new election. Craxi became the first Socialist in the history of the Italian Republic to be appointed Prime Minister,[42] and the third member of a social democratic party in the history of unified Italy to hold the post.

Prime Minister of Italy

[edit]
Craxi in 1987

Craxi led the one of longest-lived governments of Italy during the republican era and had strong influence in Italian politics throughout the 1980s;[43] for a time, he was a close ally of two key figures ofChristian Democracy,Giulio Andreotti andArnaldo Forlani, in a loose cross-party alliance often dubbed CAF (from the first letter of the surnameCraxi-Andreotti-Forlani).[44][45] Craxi had a firm grasp on a party previously troubled by factionalism, and tried to distance it from the Communists and to bring it closer to Christian Democrats and other parties; his objective was to create an Italian version of European reformist socialist parties, like the GermanSPD or the FrenchSocialist Party.[46] The Italian Socialist Party reached its post-war apex when it increased its share of votes in the general election of 1987. However, the Italian Socialist Party never outgrew the much largerItalian Communist Party, whose highly charismatic leader,Enrico Berlinguer, was a fierce adversary of Craxi's policies through the years.[47]

The main dynamic of Italian post-war politics was to find a way to keep the Italian Communist Party out of power. This led to the constant formation of political alliances between parties keen on keeping the Communists at bay. Things were further complicated by the fact that many parties had internal currents that would have welcomed the Communists in the governing coalition, in particular, within Christian Democracy, the largest party in Italy from 1945 until the end of theFirst Republic.[48]

Domestic policy

[edit]

During Craxi's tenure as Prime Minister, Italy became the fifth largest industrial nation and gained entry into theG7 Group of most industrialised nations.[49] However, inflation was often in the double digits. Against trade union resistance, the Craxi government reacted by abolishing wage-priceindexation (a mechanism known asscala mobile or "escalator"), under which wages had been increased automatically in line with inflation.[50] Abolishing the escalator system did help reduce inflation, which was also falling in other major countries, but in the long term it inevitably increased industrial action as workers had to bargain for better salaries. In any event, the victory of the "No" campaign in the referendum called by theItalian Communist Party was a major victory for Craxi. During his premiership, the Socialist Party gained popularity. He successfully boosted the country'sGNP and controlledinflation.[51][52]

Craxi with his Foreign Affairs Minister and Christian Democratic leaderGiulio Andreotti

In domestic policy, a number of reforms were initiated during Craxi's time in office. In 1984, solidarity contracts (work-sharing arrangements to avoid redundancies) were introduced, while restrictions on part-time employment were relaxed.[53] In the field of family welfare, legislation was enacted in 1984 and 1986 that changed the family allowance system "so that people most in need received larger amounts and coverage was progressively reduced to the point of termination once certain income levels were exceeded."[54]

Concordat with the Vatican

[edit]

In 1984, Craxi signed an agreement with theVatican City State that revised theLateran Treaty of 1929. Among other things, both sides declared: "The principle of the Catholic religion as the sole religion of the Italian State, originally referred to by the Lateran Pacts, shall be considered to be no longer in force".[55] The Church's position as the sole state-supported religion of Italy was also ended, replacing the state financing with a personal income tax called theotto per mille, to which other religious groups, Christian and non-Christian, also have access.[56]

The revised concordat regulated the conditions under which civil effects are accorded to church marriages and to ecclesiastical declarations of nullity of marriages.[57] Abolished articles included those concerning state recognition of knighthoods and titles of nobility conferred by the Holy See,[58] the undertaking by the Holy See to confer ecclesiastical honours on those authorized to perform religious functions at the request of the State or the Royal Household,[59] and the obligation of the Holy See to enable the Italian government to present political objections to the proposed appointment of diocesan bishops.[60]

Craxi was not a Catholic: he defined himself as a "laical Christian, like Giuseppe Garibaldi."[61]

Foreign policy

[edit]
Craxi with Romanian PresidentNicolae Ceaușescu (1978)

In the international arena, Craxi helped dissidents and Socialist parties throughout the world to organise and become independent. Notable recipients of his logistical help were theSpanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) duringFrancisco Franco's dictatorship and dramatist Jiři Pelikan, in the formerCzechoslovakia.[62] Rare footage of Craxi trying to lay flowers at the tomb ofSalvador Allende has been unearthed fromRAI's (Radiotelevisione Italiana) archives.[63]

There is also evidence that part of Craxi's illegally earned money was given in secret to leftist political opposition in Uruguay during the military dictatorship, toSolidarity in the period ofJaruzelski rule in Poland and toYasser Arafat and hisPalestine Liberation Organization because of Craxi's sympathy for thePalestinian cause.[64] He also played a role in the 1987 seizure of power in Tunisia byZine el Abidine Ben Ali.[65]

Sigonella crisis

[edit]
Main article:Crisis of Sigonella

Internationally, Craxi is perhaps best remembered for an incident in October 1985, when he refused the request of US PresidentRonald Reagan to extradite the hijackers of the cruise shipAchille Lauro.[66] After protracted negotiations, the hijackers were given safe passage toEgypt by plane. ThreeUnited States NavyF-14's forced the plane down to the United States Naval Air Facility (NAF) ofSigonella.[67] According to the version of political circles in Washington, Craxi first gave the United States Forces permission to detain the terrorists, but he later reneged on the deal. He ordered Italian troops to surround the US Forces protecting the plane.[68]

Craxi with the United States PresidentRonald Reagan

This move was supposedly dictated both by security concerns about terrorists targeting Italy if the United States had had it their way and by the Italian tradition of diplomacy with theArab world.[69] Craxi's decisive character may have been relevant in this resolution. Though the Americans demanded that the Italian authorities extraditeAbu Abbas of thePLO, Craxi stood firm on the grounds that the crime had been perpetrated on Italian soil, over which the Italian Republic had sole jurisdiction.[70] Craxi rejected the USextradition order and letAbu Abbas – chief of the hijackers, present on the plane – flee toYugoslavia; the four hijackers were later found guilty, and sentenced to prison terms for hijacking and the murder of aJewish American citizen,Leon Klinghoffer. Abbas was later also convicted in Italyin absentia and eventually died of "natural causes", shortly after being taken prisoner by American forces in the aftermath of the2003 invasion of Iraq.[71] This episode earned Craxi an article inThe Economist titled "Europe's strong man" and a standing ovation in theSenate of the Republic, which included his Communist opponents.[72]

US attack on Libya

[edit]
Main article:1986 United States bombing of Libya

According toGiulio Andreotti, Italy's foreign minister at the time (and 42nd Prime Minister of Italy) andAbdel Rahman Shalgham (Libya's Foreign Minister from 2000 until 2009), Craxi was the person who telephoned Libyan leaderMuammar al-Gaddafi towarn him of the impending AmericanOperation El Dorado Canyon retaliatory air-strikes against Libya on 15 April 1986. This permitted Gaddafi and his family to evacuate their residence in theBab al-Azizia compound moments before the bombs dropped.[73] Shalgham's statement was also confirmed byMargherita Boniver, foreign affairs chief of Craxi's Socialist Party at the time.[74]

For the Libyan attack, Craxi's government denied the United States any rights of military overflight, as did France and Spain. For the United States, this precluded the use of European continental bases, forcing the US Air Force component to take off fromRAF Upper Heyford,United Kingdom, be flown around France and Spain, over Portugal and through theStraits of Gibraltar, adding 1,300 miles (2,100 km) each way and requiring multiple aerial refuellings.[75]

Resignation

[edit]

In April 1987, the Secretary of the Christian DemocracyCiriaco De Mita decided to drop his support forCraxi's government.[76] This caused the immediate fall of the cabinet and the formation of a new government led by the long-time Christian Democratic politicianAmintore Fanfani. Even though Fanfani was a close friend and ally, Craxi did not participate in the swearing in ceremony, sending the Undersecretary to the Presidency of the CouncilGiuliano Amato.[77]

After the premiership

[edit]

In the1987 general election the PSI won 14.3% of the vote, a good result but less good than what Craxi hoped, and this time it was the Christian Democrats' turn to govern.[41] From 1987 to 1992 the PSI participated in four governments, allowingGiulio Andreotti to take power in 1989 and to govern until 1992. The Socialists held a strong balance of power, which made them more powerful than the Christian Democrats, who had to depend on it to form a majority in Parliament. The PSI kept tight control of this advantage.[78]

The alternative which Craxi had wanted so much was taking shape: the idea of a "Social Unity" with the other left-wing political parties, including the PCI, proposed by Craxi in 1989 after the fall of communism. He believed that the collapse of communism in eastern Europe had undermined the PCI and made Social Unity inevitable.[79] In fact, the PSI was in line to become Italy's second largest party and to become the dominant force of a new left-wing coalition opposed to a Christian Democrat-led one. This did not actually happen because of the rise ofLega Nord and theTangentopoli scandals.[80]

Involvement inTangentopoli

[edit]
Main article:Mani pulite
Craxi greeted by a salvo of coins as a sign of loathing by protesters

The last main turning point of Craxi's career began in February 1992, when Socialist MPMario Chiesa was arrested by police while taking a 7 million lira bribe from a cleaning service firm. Chiesa sought Craxi's protection for nearly a month, but Craxi accused him of casting a shadow on the "most honest party in Italy". Feeling marginalised and unjustly singled out, Chiesa divulged everything he knew to the prosecutors. His revelations brought half of theMilan Socialists andindustrialists under investigation; even Paolo Pillitteri, Craxi's own brother-in-law and mayor of Milan, was investigated despite his parliamentary immunity. As a consequence, a team of Milanese judges began investigating specifically the party's financing system.

In July 1992, Craxi finally realised the situation was serious and that he himself was going to be hit by the unfolding scandal. He made an appeal before theChamber of Deputies in which he claimed that everyone knew of the widespread irregularities in the public financing of Italian parties, accused the deputies of hypocrisy and cowardice, and called for all MPs to protect the Socialists from prosecution as a show of solidarity. However, his call was ignored.

Craxi received his first prosecution notice in December 1992. More followed in January and February, at which point the Court of Milan explicitly asked Parliament to authorise Craxi's prosecution for bribery and corruption (at the time, Italian MPs were immune from prosecution unless authorised by Parliament). The authorisation was denied on 29 April 1993 after Craxi gave an emotional speech. However, upon coming out of the Hotel Raphael, where he lived, he received a salvo of coins that members of theDemocratic Party of the Left and the right-wingItalian Social Movement threw at him as a sign of their disgust. From a traditional stadium chant, they started to jump and sing: "He who does not jump is a Socialist!" Some of the students waved 1,000-lire bills, singing "Bettino, do you want these too?" (Bettino, vuoi pure queste?) to the tune ofGuantanamera.[81]

Facing the judges

[edit]

In December 1993, after his prosecution was finally authorised, Craxi was called to testify alongsideCristian Democracy (DC) party secretaryArnaldo Forlani before JusticeAntonio Di Pietro. Questions were asked about the so-called ENIMONT 'super-bribe' which the PSI and DC had jointly received and democratically shared. Forlani evasively asked what a bribe was while Craxi, after admitting to the charges brought against himself and other parties, stated that the bribes were "the cost of politics." Craxi, noting that the legal process had accelerated in his case, claimed that his prosecution was politically motivated.

In May 1994, he fled toTunis in order to escape jail. His political career ended in less than two years. Italy's entire political class, including people like Andreotti and Forlani, was to follow suit soon. The CAF (the Craxi-Andreotti-Forlani axis), which had made a pact to revive the Pentapartito (an alliance of five parties: DC, PSI, Italian Republican Party, Italian Liberal Party, Italian Democratic Socialist Party) of the 1980s and apply it to the 1990s, was doomed to be crushed by the popular vote as well as by the judges.

The set of anti-corruption investigations carried out by the Milan judges came to be collectively calledMani pulite (clean hands). No party was spared but in some parties, corruption had become more endemic than elsewhere, either because of more opportunity or internal ethics. To this day, some people, especially those who were close to Craxi argue that some parties like theItalian Communist Party (PCI) were left untouched, while the leaders of the ruling coalition and in particular Craxi were wiped off the political map.

The judges in Milan were put under scrutiny several times by different governments, especiallySilvio Berlusconi's first government in 1994, but no evidence of any misconduct was ever found. Furthermore, public opinion was much less concerned about foreign financing than about the misappropriation of their money by corrupt politicians. In the end, the Socialist party went from 14% of the vote to a virtual nil. An ironic note was that the disgraced remnant of the party was excluded from Parliament by the minimum 4% threshold introduced by Craxi himself during one of his previous governments.

During theMani pulite period, Craxi tried to use a daring defence tactic: he maintained that all parties needed and took money illegally, however they could get it, to finance their activities. His defence was therefore not to declare himself innocent, but everybody guilty. While this was basically the truth, most citizens distrusted politicians, and Craxi's defence got no sympathy from the citizens and may have even served to enrage them further. Some bribes didn't go to the parties at all. They went to the personal wallets of the politicians who happened to take them.

In 2012, Di Pietro admitted that Craxi was right when during the Enimont trials he accused the PCI to have received illegal funding from theSoviet Union. Craxi's sentences seemed to him "criminally relevant", but Di Pietro omitted to investigate that crime.[82][83]

Criticism of his lifestyle

[edit]
Electoral posters of the PSI showing a portrait of Craxi

Craxi's lifestyle was perceived to be inappropriate for the secretary of a party with so many alleged financial problems: he lived in the Raphael, an expensive hotel in Rome's centre, and had a large villa inHammamet, Tunisia. As theMani Pulite investigations were to uncover in the 1990s, personal corruption was endemic in Italian society; while many politicians, including Craxi, would justify corruption with the necessities of democracy, political leaders at many levels enjoyed a lifestyle that should have been well out of their reach, while most parties continued having financial problems.Rino Formica, a prominent member of the Socialist Party in those years, wittily said that "the convent is poor, but the friars are rich".

Furthermore, Craxi's arrogant character won him many enemies; one of his most condemned actions was blaming corruption in the socialist party on treasurer Vincenzo Balzamo, just after the latter's death, in order to clear himself of any accusation. Craxi's friends includedSiad Barre, president ofSomalia;Yasser Arafat, leader ofPLO; andBen Ali, president ofTunisia. The latter provided protection to Craxi when he escaped from Italy.

Craxi's entourage was famously criticised by Formica as a "court of midgets and dancers" (corte di nani e ballerine), indicating the often ludicrous and immoral traits of a system based on personal acquaintance rather than merit. Among the friends of Craxi's to receive smaller and larger favours,Silvio Berlusconi is perhaps the most known: he received many favours, especially regarding his media empire, and had a decree named after him ("Decreto Berlusconi") long before he entered politics. Other figures were Craxi's mistressesAnia Pieroni, who owned a TV station in the Rome area, andSandra Milo, who had a skyrocketing career in the state-owned TV channelsRAI.

Craxi was also known for never apologising, as a matter of principle; most Italians expected an apology after the corrupt system had been exposed. Craxi never apologised, stating he had done nothing that everybody else had not been doing, and that he was being unjustly singled out and persecuted.

Judgements of the European Court of Human Rights

[edit]

All three appeals by Craxi to theStrasbourg court complained that his defence was not able to refute in court the accusations made by various defendants of related crimes, in violation of the adversarial principle proclaimed in article 6, paragraph 3, letter d of theEuropean Convention of Human Rights.[84] The European Court ruled in his favour in the case of wiretapped conversations illegally made public.

Decline and dissolution of the PSI

[edit]
Craxi during the early 1980s

Craxi resigned as party Secretary in February 1993. Between 1992 and 1993, most members of the party left politics and three Socialist deputies committed suicide. Craxi was succeeded by two Socialist trade unionists, firstGiorgio Benvenuto and then byOttaviano Del Turco. In the December 1993 provincial and municipal elections the PSI was virtually wiped out, receiving around 3% of the vote. In Milan, where the PSI had won 20% in 1990, the PSI received a mere 2%, which was not even enough to elect a councillor. Del Turco tried in vain to regain credibility for the party.

In the1994 general election, what was left of PSI allied itself to theAlliance of Progressives dominated by thepost-communist incarnation of the PCI, theDemocratic Party of the Left (PDS). Del Turco quickly changed the party symbol to reinforce the idea of innovation. However, this did not stop the PSI gaining only 2.2% of the votes compared to 13.6% in 1992. The PSI got 16 deputies[85] and 14 senators[86] elected, down from 92 deputies and 49 senators of 1992. Most of them came from the left wing of the party, as Del Turco himself did. Most Socialists joined other political forces, mainlyForza Italia, the new party led bySilvio Berlusconi, thePatto Segni andDemocratic Alliance.

The party was disbanded on 13 November 1994 after two years, in which almost all of its longtime leaders, especially Craxi, were involved in Tangentopoli and decided to leave politics. The 100-year-old party closed down, partially thanks to its leaders for their personalisation of the PSI.

Craxism

[edit]
Main article:Craxism
Craxi during a socialist congress

Craxism (Italian:Craxismo) was and to some extent remains an Italian political ideology based on Craxi's thought. It was the informal ideology of the PSI from 1976 to 1994.

Origins and features

[edit]

Although the term is considered derogatory today, Craxism was based on a synthesis ofsocialism,social democracy, andsocial liberalism, or the Italianliberal-socialist tradition. Under Craxi, the PSI supportedThird-Worldism, was pro-Arab andenvironmentalist, and supported the modernwelfare state, and was also pro-Atlanticist, pro-Europeanist, placed a strong defense of territorial sovereignty (e.g. theSigonella crisis), and was more conservative on issues such asabortion andwar on drugs.

Under Craxi, the PSI moved closer to thecentre-left andpolitical centre, much to ally withChristian Democracy and other moderate parties that formed a coalition calledPentapartito, which ensured a stable majority to govern.

Critics

[edit]

Today, Craxism is often considered a derogatory term describing a corrupt politician, although some favourably welcome him; this is the case of those who, following the dissolution of the PSI, joined the newly formedForza Italia ofSilvio Berlusconi (centre-right coalition) but also a part of those who formed theItalian Socialists, small party adhering to theAlliance of Progressives ofAchille Occhetto (centre-left coalition).

Craxism has led to the change of the whole ofEuropean socialism, together withFelipe González (PSOE),François Mitterrand (PS), andHelmut Schmidt (SPD) during the 1980s. In addition, along with these other figures, it inspired the overhaul and the policies ofTony Blair'sLabour Party,José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's PSOE, andAndreas Papandreou'sPASOK.

In Italy, the main critics of Craxism, as well as the figure of Craxi, are the former Communists (including most members of theDemocratic Party) and some left-leaning press media (Il Fatto Quotidiano,il manifesto,L'Espresso, andla Repubblica), while the biggest supporters are on the centre-left the refoundedItalian Socialist Party ofRiccardo Nencini, which includes his sonBobo Craxi, and various politicians of the centre-right like Berlusconi,Renato Brunetta,Maurizio Sacconi, and Stefano Caldoro, including his daughter,Stefania Craxi.

Death and legacy

[edit]
Craxi's grave inHammamet, Tunisia

All this resulted in him being considered the symbol ofpolitical corruption. Craxi escaped the laws he had once contributed to make, by fleeing toHammamet, Tunisia, in 1994; he remained a fugitive there, protected by the government ofZine El Abidine Ben Ali, his personal friend. He repeatedly declared himself innocent but never returned to Italy where he had been sentenced to 27 years in jail because of his corruption crimes; of these, 9 years and 8 months were upheld on appeal.

Craxi died on 19 January 2000, at the age of 65, from complications ofdiabetes.[87] Prime Minister andDemocrats of the Left leaderMassimo D'Alema proposed a state funeral, which was not accepted by Craxi's family who accused the government of preventing his return to Italy to undergo a delicate surgery atSan Raffaele Hospital in Milan.

Craxi's funeral took place at theCathedral of St. Vincent de Paul in Tunis and saw a large participation of the local population. Former PSI militants and other Italians arrived in Tunisia to make the last greetings to their leader. His supporters came outside the Tunisian cathedral and targetedLamberto Dini andMarco Minniti, representatives of the Italian government, with insults and a launch of coins.[88] Craxi's tomb is in the small Christian cemetery in Hammamet. According to some sources it is orientated towards Italy;[89] following a 2017 survey, this was revealed to be erroneous.[90]

Taxon named in his honor

[edit]

Corythoichthys benedettoG. R. Allen &Erdmann, 2008, commonly known asBenedetto's pipefish, is a species of marine fish of the familySyngnathidae. It inhabits the Indo-West Pacific, nearThailand,Myanmar,Indonesia,Papua New Guinea, and Australia.[91]

Electoral history

[edit]
ElectionHouseConstituencyPartyVotesResult
1968Chamber of DeputiesMilan–PaviaPSI23,788checkYElected
1972Chamber of DeputiesMilan–PaviaPSI23,704checkYElected
1976Chamber of DeputiesMilan–PaviaPSI36,992checkYElected
1979Chamber of DeputiesMilan–PaviaPSI65,350checkYElected
1979European ParliamentNorth-West ItalyPSI286,739checkYElected
1983Chamber of DeputiesNaples–CasertaPSI124,833checkYElected
1987Chamber of DeputiesNaples–CasertaPSI165,676checkYElected
1989European ParliamentNorth-West ItalyPSI473,414checkYElected
1992Chamber of DeputiesMilan–PaviaPSI94,226checkYElected

References

[edit]
  1. ^"Craxi".Collins English Dictionary.HarperCollins. Retrieved22 August 2019.
  2. ^Migliorini, Bruno; Tagliavini, Carlo; Fiorelli, Piero; Borri, Tommaso Francesco, eds. (2010) [1969]."Craxì".Dizionario d'Ortografia e di Pronunzia della lingua italiana (in Italian). Rome:Rai Eri.ISBN 978-88-397-1478-7.
  3. ^Profile of Bettino Craxi
  4. ^I tre più potenti? Agnelli, Craxi e De Mita
  5. ^Craxi, tutti i processi e le condanne
  6. ^Bettino Craxi, discorso sul finanziamento politico, Camera dei Deputati, 3 luglio 1992
  7. ^Scarano, Angelo (19 January 2017)."Craxi, il ricordo di Berlusconi: "Mi manca, simbolo di dignità"".il Giorniale (in Italian). Retrieved11 August 2022.
  8. ^Berlusconi, 20 anni fa la discesa in campo. Con la regia di Craxi e Dell'Utri
  9. ^Tobias Apse, "Italy: A New Agenda" in "Mapping the West European Left", edited by Perry Anderson and Patrick Camiller, 1994, pp. 189-233
  10. ^"Craxi, González y Soares coinciden en que la incorporación de España y Portugal supone un nuevo impulso para la CEE".El País (in Spanish). 10 April 1985. Retrieved28 August 2024.
  11. ^La politica estera di Bettino Craxi nel Mediterraneo: dalla segreteria al governo.
  12. ^"Craxi, Benedetto (Bettino)" in Mark Gilbert, Robert K. Nilsson, "The A to Z of Modern Italy", pp. 119-120, 2010
  13. ^E Feltri esaltava Di Pietro contro il Cinghialone
  14. ^Io che azzannai il Cinghialone e non vidi gli orrori dei giudici
  15. ^"Le lettere inedite di Craxi, così pregavano "il Cinghialone"". Archived fromthe original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved10 May 2017.
  16. ^abJessup, John E. (1998).An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Conflict and Conflict Resolution, 1945–1996. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. p. 140. Archived fromthe original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved24 August 2017.[ISBN missing]
  17. ^Craxi, Bettino – Enciclopedia Treccani
  18. ^Bettino Craxi – Scheda biografica
  19. ^La Biografia di Bettino Craxi
  20. ^"Biografie in breve: Bettino Craxi". Archived fromthe original on 28 June 2012. Retrieved13 June 2017.
  21. ^Milano–Hammamet, viaggio di sola andataArchived 13 March 2016 at theWayback Machine
  22. ^Bettino Craxi – Opera Omnia
  23. ^"L'attività dell'Amministrazione comunale da Cassinis ad Aniasi". Archived fromthe original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved13 June 2017.
  24. ^La formazione di Craxi nel contesto milanese
  25. ^"Bettino Craxi – La Storia siamo noi". Archived fromthe original on 11 June 2017. Retrieved13 June 2017.
  26. ^L'era di Craxi, in 16 anni dagli altari alla polvere
  27. ^Craxi e il PSI
  28. ^Conferito il premio Salvador Allende alla memoria di Bettino Craxi
  29. ^Craxi, Benedetto detto Bettino
  30. ^"PSI 1976: Comitato centrale al Midas e Craxi segretario". Archived fromthe original on 23 January 2018. Retrieved23 January 2018.
  31. ^"Bettino Craxi – L'intellettuale dissidente". Archived fromthe original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved23 January 2018.
  32. ^A new band of brothers. The Economist (London, England), Saturday, 18 October 1980; pg. 47; Issue 7155.
  33. ^"Quella volta che Craxi mi abbracciò e disse: "Lo dobbiamo salvare"". Archived fromthe original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved23 January 2018.
  34. ^Acquaviva, Gennaro, and Luigi Covatta. Moro-Craxi: fermezza e trattativa trent'anni dopo / a cura di Gennaro Acquaviva e Luigi Covatta; prefazione di Piero Craveri. n.p.: Venezia : Marsilio, 2009.
  35. ^Fasanella, Giovanni; Giuseppe Roca (2003).The Mysterious Intermediary. Igor Markevitch and the Moro affair. Einaudi.
  36. ^Qualcuno era comunista
  37. ^With the ardour of those who drove merchants from the temple, Speaker Pertini ordered to drive away the "whips" from the aisle, accelerating the outcome of the presidential election in 1971 :Buonomo, Giampiero (2015)."Il rugby e l'immortalità del nome".L'Ago e Il Filo. Archived fromthe original on 1 August 2012. Retrieved21 March 2016.
  38. ^Il primo riformista italiano
  39. ^Il socialismo liberale di Craxi[permanent dead link]
  40. ^Il vangelo socialista di Craxi
  41. ^abNohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010)Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1048ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
  42. ^Craxi, storia di un riformista
  43. ^Composizione del Governo Craxi I
  44. ^"I quattro anni che sconvolsero l'Italia. Ascesa e crollo dell'impero del CAF".La Repubblica (in Italian). 30 July 1993. Retrieved28 August 2024.
  45. ^"La stagione del CAF". Archived fromthe original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved23 January 2018.
  46. ^Bettino Craxi, il riformista e la sinistra italiana
  47. ^"La via di Craxi è il riformismo".La Repubblica (in Italian). 4 February 1987. Retrieved28 August 2024.
  48. ^Bettino Craxi e l'asse con la DC
  49. ^Le conseguenze economiche di Craxi
  50. ^La storia del PSI. La riforma della scala mobile
  51. ^"Il libro che racconta di Craxi e di quando tagliò la scala mobile".Panorama. 13 February 2014. Retrieved28 August 2024.
  52. ^La scala mobile
  53. ^The Power to Dismiss
  54. ^European Observatory On Family Policies: National Family Policies In EC-Countries In 1990 by Wilfred Dumon in collaboration with Françoise Bartiaux, Tanja Nuelant, and experts from each of the member states
  55. ^[home.lu.lv/~rbalodis/Baznicu%20tiesibas/Akti/.../~WRL3538.tmp The American Society of International Law, "Agreement between the Italian Republic and the Holy See" (English translation)]
  56. ^Gli accordi di Villa Madama: dalla Costituente a Craxi
  57. ^Article 8 of the revised concordat
  58. ^Articles 41–42 of the 1929 concordat
  59. ^Article 15 of the 1929 concordat
  60. ^Article 19 of the 1929 concordat
  61. ^Anfossi, Francesco."Quando Casaroli mi porse la penna" [When Cardinal Casaroli lent me the pen].Famiglia Cristiana. Retrieved20 July 2020.
  62. ^"Craxi al congresso del PSOE: "Obiettivo unità socialista".La Repubblica (in Italian). 10 November 1990. Retrieved13 September 2022.
  63. ^"Domani il vertice Craxi–Gonzales".La Repubblica (in Italian). 19 January 1986. Retrieved13 September 2022.
  64. ^"Craxi sfida Israele e Washington".La Repubblica (in Italian). 8 December 1984. Retrieved13 September 2022.
  65. ^"L'amore Craxi–Tunisia".La Repubblica (in Italian). 30 July 1995. Retrieved13 September 2022.
  66. ^Tortorella, Maurizio (12 October 2015)."La verità su Sigonella 30 anni dopo".Panorama (in Italian). Retrieved10 August 2022.
  67. ^Sorgi, Marcello (15 October 2015)."Sigonella, così Reagan capitolò davanti all'ira funesta di Craxi".La Stampa (in Italian). Retrieved10 August 2022.
  68. ^Sigonella, l'urlo di Bettino Craxi
  69. ^Barbacetto, Gianni (10 January 2010)."La grande bugia di Sigonella".il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). Retrieved10 August 2022.
  70. ^Quella volta che a Sigonella Craxi rese l'Italia un paese sovrano
  71. ^La Nato, Sigonella, Craxi e Spadolini. Cosa successe davvero 31 anni fa
  72. ^La politic estera di Bettino Craxi nel Mediterraneo: dalla segreteria al governo
  73. ^"Italy helped "save" Gaddafi by warning of US air raid".Monsters and Critics. Rome. 30 October 2008. Archived fromthe original on 28 February 2011. Retrieved25 February 2011.
  74. ^Italy Warned Libya of Bombing, Saved Qaddafi's Life (Update3)Bloomberg.com – Retrieved 4 November 2008
  75. ^Nigro, Vincenzo (30 October 2008)."Andreotti e il ministro libico confermano "Craxi avvertì Gheddafi del bombardamento Usa"".la Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved11 August 2022.
  76. ^Craxi e De Mita, quando la staffetta era guerra
  77. ^Quando Bettino disertò il passaggio di consegne mandandoci Amato
  78. ^Il PSI contro Andreotti: "Ci vuole strangolare"
  79. ^Il socialismo liberale di Bettino Craxi
  80. ^Bettino Craxi, tangenti per miliardi a domicilio. Ecco perché fu condannato
  81. ^[1] The video of the mob against Craxi on Youtube
  82. ^Corriereweb."Su Napolitano aveva ragione Craxi" (in Italian). Archived fromthe original on 21 February 2013.
  83. ^Il Giornale (7 August 2012)."Di Pietro ora dà ragione a Craxi" (in Italian).
  84. ^Buonomo, Giampiero (2001)."Commento alla decisione della Corte europea dei diritti dell'uomo dell'11 ottobre 2001".Diritto&Giustizia Edizione Online. Archived fromthe original on 1 August 2012. Retrieved21 March 2016.
  85. ^They were Giuseppe Albertini,Enrico Boselli,Carlo Carli,Ottaviano Del Turco, Fabio Di Capua, Vittorio Emiliani, Mario Gatto, Luigi Giacco,Gino Giugni, Alberto La Volpe, Vincenzo Mattina, Valerio Mignone,Rosario Olivo, Corrado Paoloni,Giuseppe Pericu andValdo Spini.
  86. ^They were Paolo Bagnoli, Orietta Baldelli, Francesco Barra, Luigi Biscardi, Guido De Martino, Gianni Fardin, Carlo Gubbini,Maria Rosaria Manieri, Cesare Marini, Maria Antonia Modolo, Michele Sellitti, Giancarlo Tapparo, Antonino Valletta and Antonio Vozzi.
  87. ^"Craxi: Fallen kingpin".BBC News. 20 January 2000. Retrieved13 April 2013.
  88. ^"Craxi, l'ultimo saluto. Contestati governo e giudici".La Repubblica (in Italian). 22 January 2000. Retrieved11 August 2022.
  89. ^Lo Snodo :: Il vento di Hammamet, gelido dall'Italia
  90. ^The following picture from Wikimedia, extracted from this survey, shows the actual orientation of the tomb:https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BettinoCraxi-JPvanDijk-AzimuthDirection.jpg
  91. ^Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara (22 September 2018)."Order SYNGNATHIFORMES: Families AULOSTOMIDAE, CENTRISCIDAE, FISTULARIIDAE, SOLENOSTOMIDAE and SYNGNATHIDAE".The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved10 October 2025.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Wilsford, David, ed. (1995).Political leaders of contemporary Western Europe: a biographical dictionary. Greenwood. pp. 31–44.ISBN 0-313-28623-X.

External links

[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related toBettino Craxi.
Party political offices
Preceded by Secretary of theItalian Socialist Party
1976–1993
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded byPrime Minister of Italy
1983–1987
Succeeded by
Preceded byPresident of the European Council
1985
Succeeded by
Diplomatic posts
Preceded byChair of the G7
1987
Succeeded by
Bettino Craxi
Secretary
Related articles
Derivatives
Alliances
International
National
Academics
People
Other
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bettino_Craxi&oldid=1332988826"
Categories:
Hidden categories:

[8]ページ先頭

©2009-2026 Movatter.jp