Camilla Ravera | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theSenate of the Republic | |
| Life tenure 8 January 1982 – 14 April 1988 | |
| Appointed by | Sandro Pertini |
| Member of theChamber of Deputies | |
| In office 8 May 1948 – 11 June 1958 | |
| Constituency | Turin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1889-06-18)18 June 1889 Acqui Terme,Kingdom of Italy |
| Died | 14 April 1988(1988-04-14) (aged 98) Rome,Italy |
| Political party | PCI |
Camilla Ravera (18 June 1889 – 14 April 1988) was anItalian politician and the first femalelifetime senator. She was also among the driving forces behind Italian feminism.[1]
Ravera participated in the founding of theItalian Communist Party in 1921.[2] She was General Secretary of the party from 1927 until 1930 following the arrest ofAntonio Gramsci.
Ravera attended various congresses ofComintern, meeting bothVladimir Lenin andJoseph Stalin in person. She was arrested in 1930 and was sentenced to 15 years. After her arrest, she was succeeded as General Secretary byPalmiro Togliatti. Along withUmberto Terracini, she was expelled from the Italian Communist Party for opposing theMolotov–Ribbentrop Pact in 1939 and was not allowed to rejoin until 1945.
Ravera first entered socialist circles after delivering her brother Cesare's dues to theItalian Socialist Party, of which she later became a member.[3] Ravera began writing essays promoting socialism, and later moved toTurin to become a teacher.[3] Her writings attracted the attention ofAntonio Gramsci, who invited her to write columns for his newspaperL’Ordine Nuovo.[3] In July 1921, she joined the paper's editorial board.[3]
In November 1922, Ravera attendedComintern’s Fourth Congress as a delegate for theCommunist Party of Italy.[3] Here she met important figures within the communist movement, includingClara Zetkin,Khristo Kabakchiev,Joseph Stalin, andVladimir Lenin.[3] After theMarch on Rome, the Communist Party was forced underground, with Ravera becoming a wanted figure underMussolini's regime.[3] She became the General Secretary of the party in 1927.[3] She partook in Comintern's Sixth Congress in 1928 inMoscow, and was offered permanent residency in the city, which she declined.[3] On 10 July 1930, atLake Maggiore, Ravera was arrested.[3]
After World War II, Ravera became a part of theItalian Communist Party, the successor to theCommunist Party of Italy. She served as a member of theItalian Parliament as a member of the party, where she signed onto bills, including those which focused on the protection of mothers and equal wages for women.[3] Ravera retired from this role in 1958.[3]
In 1982, ItalianPresidentSandro Pertini made Camilla Ravera aSenator for Life.[3]
| Election | House | Constituency | Party | Votes | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Chamber of Deputies | Turin–Novara–Vercelli | FDP | 68,716 |  YElected | |
| 1953 | Chamber of Deputies | Turin–Novara–Vercelli | PCI | 43,650 | YElected | |
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