- Born:
- Sept. 23, 1916, Maglie, Italy
- Died:
- May 9, 1978, Rome (aged 61)
- Title / Office:
- foreign minister (1970-1972), Italy
- Political Affiliation:
- Italian Popular Party
Aldo Moro
-
Who was Aldo Moro?
Aldo Moro was an Italian statesman, law professor, and leader of the Christian Democratic Party. He was born on September 23, 1916, in Maglie, Italy, and died on May 9, 1978, in Rome.
Moro served as premier of Italy five times between 1963 and 1976. Before his time as premier, Moro served as president of the Federazione Universitaria Cattolica Italiana from 1939 to 1942 and the Movimento Laureati Cattolici from 1945 to 1946. After World War II, he was elected as a deputy to the Constituent Assembly, which created Italy’s 1948 constitution.
On March 16, 1978, the Red Brigades, a left-wing terrorist group, kidnapped Moro in Rome. Government officials refused to release 13 Red Brigade members on trial in Turin. After 54 days in captivity, Moro was murdered by his kidnappers.
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What position did Aldo Moro hold in Italy's government?
Aldo Moro served as premier of Italy five times between 1963 and 1976. He also held a number of cabinet posts, including undersecretary of foreign affairs (1948–50), minister of justice (1955–57), and minister of public instruction (1957–59). Moro was president of the Christian Democrats in October 1976, though he held no public office at the time.
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When did Aldo Moro serve as the prime minister of Italy?
Aldo Moro, a prominent figure in Italian politics and the Christian Democratic Party, served as premier of Italy five times. His terms were from 1963 to 1964, 1964 to 1966, 1966 to 1968, 1974 to 1976, and in 1976. Moro's political career was marked by his efforts to create coalition governments, including those with the Italian Socialist Party. In 1978, Moro was kidnapped and murdered by the Red Brigades, a left-wing terrorist group, which led to significant investigations and trials.
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What were some important policies or changes he introduced as prime minister?
Aldo Moro served as premier of Italy five times. In December 1963, Moro formed a cabinet that included some Socialists, who were participating in the government for the first time in 16 years. Italy’s inflation and failing industrial growth prevented Moro from initiating many of the reforms he had envisaged, and this angered the Socialists, who effected his defeat in January 1966. He succeeded, however, in forming a new government on February 23.
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Why was Aldo Moro a significant figure in Italian politics?
Aldo Moro, a prominent figure in Italian politics, served as premier of Italy five times between 1963 and 1976. As leader of the Christian Democratic Party, he played a crucial role in Italian politics post-World War II, helping to draft the country's 1948 constitution and holding various cabinet positions. Moro sought to reconcile his party's centrist position with a coalition involving the Italian Socialist Party. In 1978, the Red Brigades, a militant left-wing organization, kidnapped and murdered Moro, which led to a series of trials and parliamentary investigations.
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What happened to Aldo Moro in 1978, and why is it remembered in Italian history?
In 1978, Aldo Moro, former prime minister of Italy and a prominent figure in the Christian Democratic Party, was kidnapped by the Red Brigades, a militant left-wing organization. After 54 days of captivity, during which the Italian government refused to negotiate for his release, Moro was murdered by his captors.
This event is a significant and tragic moment in Italian history due to the political instability and social unrest that it caused, as well as the mysteries and controversies that continue to surround the "Moro Affair". The assassination highlighted the intensity of political violence in Italy during the Years of Lead and remains a point of reflection on Italian democracy and its challenges.
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Aldo Moro (born Sept. 23, 1916, Maglie, Italy—died May 9, 1978, Rome) was a law professor, Italian statesman, and leader of the Christian Democratic Party, who served five times as premier of Italy (1963–64, 1964–66, 1966–68, 1974–76, and 1976). In 1978 he was kidnapped and subsequently murdered by left-wing terrorists.
A professor of law at the University of Bari, Moro published several books on legal subjects and served as president of the Federazione Universitaria Cattolica Italiana (Federation of Italian University Catholics; 1939–42) and the Movimento Laureati Cattolici (Movement of Catholic Graduates; 1945–46). After World War II he was elected a deputy to the Constituent Assembly, which created the country’s 1948 constitution, and to the legislature. He held a succession of cabinet posts, including undersecretary of foreign affairs (1948–50), minister of justice (1955–57), and minister of public instruction (1957–59).
Moro took office as secretary of the Christian Democrats (later renamed the Italian Popular Party) during a crisis that threatened to split the party (March 1959). Although he was the leader of the Dorothean, or centrist, group of the Christian Democrats, he favoured forming a coalition with the Italian Socialist Party and helped bring about the resignation of the conservative Christian Democrat prime minister Fernando Tambroni (July 1960).
When he was invited to form his own government in December 1963, Moro assembled a cabinet that included some Socialists, who were participating in the government for the first time in 16 years. He resigned after a defeat on a budget issue (June 26, 1964) but within a month formed a new cabinet much like the old one (July 22). After Amintore Fanfani’s resignation in 1965, Moro temporarily became his own foreign minister, renewing Italian pledges to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the United Nations.
Italy’s inflation and failing industrial growth prevented Moro from initiating many of the reforms he had envisaged, and this angered the Socialists, who effected his defeat in January 1966. He succeeded, however, in forming a new government on February 23. After the general elections in 1968, Moro, as is customary, resigned (June 5, 1968). He was foreign minister during 1969–72. In November 1974 he became premier with a coalition government, the second party being the Italian Republican Party, but this government fell on Jan. 7, 1976. Moro was again premier from February 12 to April 30, 1976, remaining in office as head of a caretaker government until early summer. In October 1976 he became president of the Christian Democrats and remained a powerful influence in Italian politics even though he held no public office.
On March 16, 1978, while on his way to attend a special session of the legislature, Moro was kidnapped in Rome by members of the militant left-wing Red Brigades. After 55 days of captivity, during which government officials repeatedly refused to release 13 members of the Red Brigades on trial in Turin, Moro was murdered in or near Rome by the terrorist kidnappers. A series of trials and parliamentary investigations followed, and several members of the Red Brigades were convicted for their involvement; however, a number of mysteries still surround what became known as the “Moro Affair.”