Con l’America ma più europei. Il contributo del PSDI alla vigilia dell’onore delle armi (1979-91)

Abstract

The article examines the debate of the Italian Social Democratic Party (PSDI) on
European integration in the years 1979-1991. At the time, the party experienced
a deep crisis, mainly in the field of legitimization and dialogue with the electorate.
The reviving of a pro-European tradition, the strengthening of its European
profile, the emancipation from an overly emphasized pro-Americanism, as well
as the strengthening of the dialogue with its continental counterparts, especially
within the Socialist International, became therefore assets to proceed with both
a “deprovincialization” of the party and a restoring of credibility. An attempt at
profound renewal that, however, was overwhelmed, together with the PSDI as a
whole, by the collapse of the “first Republic”. In this context, however, both the
individual experiences of Mauro Ferri and Antonio Cariglia within the European
institutions and the quality of the pro-European debate within the party between
1985 and the early 1990s remain certainly relevant.