The Long March of Italian Communists from Revolution to Neoliberalism: a Retrospective Assessment

The paper traces back the path that has transformed the Italian Communist Party from its original revolutionary stance into a democratic government party, leading to a radical change in its original political outlook. Its recent dissolution into a new political entity, a great deal antithetic to its original ideological roots, has completed the process. The changing nature of the party was reflected in the very different roles performed in the political and economic life of post-war Italy