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Palimiro TogliattiGeneral Secretary of the Italian Communist Party.
Date of Birth: 26.03.1893
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
- Biography of Palmiro Togliatti
- Communist Party and Anti-Fascist Struggle
- Spanish Civil War and World War II
- Political Career and Contributions
- Legacy and Death
Biography of Palmiro Togliatti
Early Life and Political InvolvementPalmiro Togliatti, also known as Ercole, Alfredo, Mario Correnti, Rodrigo, and others, was born on March 26, 1893, in Genoa. He came from a middle-class family and attended Turin University after graduating from high school in 1911. In 1914, Togliatti joined the Italian Socialist Party and became involved in the Turin organization, where he advocated for a revolutionary course for the labor movement, opposed to the reformism of the party leaders. He completed his law degree in 1915 but was released from military service due to illness during World War I. Upon his return to Turin, Togliatti initially enrolled in the philosophy faculty but later dedicated himself entirely to political activities. He translated and propagated the works of Vladimir Lenin, documents from the Bolshevik Party, and closely followed the revolutionary events unfolding in Russia. In 1919, Togliatti co-founded the weekly publication "L'Ordine Nuovo" and later joined the editorial board of the socialist party's newspaper "Avanti!" He played a prominent role in organizing the first factory councils in Turin in 1919.
Communist Party and Anti-Fascist Struggle
Togliatti was one of the organizers of the Communist faction within the socialist party in 1920, and "L'Ordine Nuovo" transformed into its central organ. He actively participated in the movement that led to the founding of the Communist Party of Italy (CPI) in January 1921. As fascism gained momentum, Togliatti supported the anti-fascist struggle of the "people's squads." From 1921, he served as the editor of the CPI's central organ, "Il Comunista," until the fascist takeover in 1922. Togliatti was elected to the Central Committee of the Communist Party in 1922 and to its leadership in 1923. In collaboration with Antonio Gramsci, he founded the newspaper "L'Unita" in 1924. During the national party conference in 1924, Gramsci and Togliatti vehemently opposed the sectarian line of Amadeo Bordiga, the leader of the young communist party, and gained a majority in the party's leadership. Togliatti was elected as a member of the Executive Committee of the Communist International (Comintern) in 1924. He was arrested twice between 1923 and 1925, spending approximately eight months in prison. At the Lyon Congress of the CPI in 1926, which marked the victory over Bordigism, Togliatti delivered a report on trade union unity. In 1926, he represented the CPI at the Comintern in Moscow and became a member of its Presidium in 1928. After the arrest of Communist Party leader Gramsci in 1926, Togliatti assumed the position of General Secretary of the CPI. In early 1927, he left Moscow and headed the CPI's "foreign center" in France. From 1927 to 1934, Togliatti traveled multiple times to Switzerland and Belgium to organize the work of the CPI in exile. He actively opposed the policy of passivity, sectarianism, and opportunism in the labor movement during the fight against fascism, advocating for unity among all anti-fascist forces. Togliatti led the struggle against the right-wing deviation within the CPI from 1929 to 1931. He served as a member of the Presidium and Secretariat of the Comintern from 1935 to 1943. Togliatti stressed the importance of not underestimating the danger of fascism and avoiding the oversimplified identification of fascism with capitalism. Together with Georgi Dimitrov, he played a significant role in developing the tactics of the Popular Front, which included the signing of a pact of unity of action between Italian communists and socialists in 1934. Togliatti participated in the preparation of the 7th Congress of the Comintern in 1935, delivering a crucial report on the tasks of the Communist International in connection with the preparation of a new world war by imperialists.
Spanish Civil War and World War II
During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), Togliatti worked in Spain on behalf of the Comintern, providing assistance to the Spanish Communist Party in organizing resistance against the fascist insurgents and Italo-German intervention. After his return to France, he once again headed the CPI's "foreign center" in 1939. Togliatti was arrested in Paris in September 1939 and remained in prison until 1940. Throughout World War II, from 1940 to 1944, Togliatti lived in the Soviet Union and broadcasted on Moscow Radio under the pseudonym Mario Correnti, targeting Italy. He returned to Italy in March 1944 and became a key figure in the policy of national unity in the fight against the German-Italian fascist occupation forces that had occupied Italy since 1943. From 1944 to 1946, Togliatti served in the governments of Pietro Badoglio, Ivanoe Bonomi, Ferruccio Parri, and Alcide De Gasperi as a minister without portfolio, later as Minister of Justice and Deputy Prime Minister.
Political Career and Contributions
In the post-war years, Togliatti played a leading role in constructing the mass Communist Party of Italy and its struggle to create a broad anti-monopoly alliance, improve the material and legal status of the working class, and advocate for peace and socialism. He actively promoted the strengthening of unity between the international communist and labor movement based on the principles of proletarian internationalism, solidarity, and cooperation. Since 1944, Togliatti served as the director of the theoretical organ of the Italian Communist Party (ICP), the journal "Rinascita." From 1946 to 1947, he was a deputy in the Constituent Assembly and, from 1948, a member of parliament, chairman of the Communist Party's parliamentary group, and vice-chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies. In July 1948, Togliatti was seriously wounded in an assassination attempt inspired by international and internal reaction. He made several visits to the Soviet Union and participated in the work of the International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties in Moscow in 1957.
Legacy and Death
Togliatti passed away in Crimea, where he had gone on vacation. He was buried in Rome, Italy. In honor of his contributions, the city of Stavropol-on-Volga was renamed Togliatti on August 28, 1964. Togliatti left behind a body of work on the theory and practice of the labor movement, historical materialism and scientific communism, the history of socialist doctrines and the international labor movement, and the history of Italy, among other topics. His works after the war focused on developing a program for Italy's path to socialism, outlining the strategy for the working class and its allies to seize power and transform Italian society, taking into account Italy's social and historical characteristics. Togliatti consistently advocated for friendship with the Soviet Union throughout his career.
