Socialist Party of Italian Workers

The Socialist Party of Italian Workers (PSLI) was formed in early 1947 by socialists who disagreed with the Italian Socialist Party's (PSI) cooperation with the Italian Communist Party (PCI). The PSLI advocated for anticommunism and the nationalization of some industries, positioning itself as a center party.1

In May 1947, when the Italian Communist Party was excluded from the government, the PSLI's support helped stabilize the ruling majority. In 1952, the PSLI merged with other anticommunist socialist groups to create the Italian Democratic Socialist Party (PSDI), which participated in governments after 1954. The PSI and PSDI platforms became more similar over time, and in 1966, the PSDI rejoined the PSI. However, this reunion was short-lived, and former Social Democrats formed the Unitary Socialist Party (PSU) in 1969 due to disagreements over potential government alliances with communists. The PSDI later continued to support Christian Democratic governments but experienced a collapse in support and effectively ceased to exist after 1994 due to corruption scandals.1