Alcide De Gasperi

Italian politician and founder of the Christian Democratic Party (1881-1954)

Alcide Amedeo Francesco De Gasperi (3 April 1881 – 19 August 1954) was an Italian politician who started the Christian Democracy party, and helped to start the Council of Europe and the European Coal and Steel Community.[1]

Alcide De Gasperi
30th Prime Minister of Italy
In office
10 December 1945 – 17 August 1953
MonarchVictor Emmanuel III
Umberto II
Lieutenant GeneralPrince Umberto
PresidentEnrico De Nicola
Luigi Einaudi
DeputyLuigi Einaudi
Randolfo Pacciardi
Giuseppe Saragat
Attilio Piccioni
Giovanni Porzio
Preceded byFerruccio Parri
Succeeded byGiuseppe Pella
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
26 July 1951 – 17 August 1953
Preceded byCarlo Sforza
Succeeded byGiuseppe Pella
In office
12 December 1944 – 18 October 1946
Prime MinisterIvanoe Bonomi
Ferruccio Parri
Preceded byIvanoe Bonomi
Succeeded byPietro Nenni
Minister of the Interior
In office
13 July 1946 – 2 February 1947
Preceded byGiuseppe Romita
Succeeded byMario Scelba
Provisional Head of State of Italy
In office
18 June 1946 – 28 June 1946
Preceded byKing Umberto II
Succeeded byEnrico De Nicola
Minister of the Italian Africa
In office
10 December 1945 – 19 April 1953
Preceded byFerruccio Parri
Succeeded byPosition abolished
President of the European Parliament
In office
1 January 1954 – 19 August 1954
Preceded byPaul Henri Spaak
Succeeded byGiuseppe Pella
Personal details
Born
Alcide Amedeo Francesco De Gasperi

(1881-04-03)3 April 1881
Pieve Tesino, Tyrol, Austria-Hungary
Died19 August 1954(1954-08-19) (aged 73)
Borgo Valsugana, Trentino, Italy
NationalityItalian
Political partyUPPT (1906–1920)
PPI (1920–1926)
Independent (1926–1943)
DC (1943–1954)
Spouse(s)Francesca Romani (1894–1954)
ChildrenMaria Romana De Gasperi
and other 3 daughters
Alma materUniversity of Vienna
OccupationJournalist, politician

He was the Prime Minister of Italy for eight years, between 1945 and 1953. That is longer than any other Italian prime minister except Benito Mussolini, who was a dictator.

De Gasperi was born in Austria-Hungary, and did not become an Italian citizen until after the First World War.[2] In 1927, he was put in prison for one and a half years because he did not support Mussolini's Fascist government. Mussolini released him from prison because the Pope asked him to.

References

change
  1. The Florentine. "The Florentine - article » In the beginning was De Gasperi". Archived from the original on 12 June 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  2. "ITALY: Man from the Mountains". TIME.com. 25 May 1953. Retrieved 18 January 2016.