Demokratie und Kommunismus in Bologna 1945–1956: Zu den ambivalenten Wirkungen eines stalinistisch geprägten Führungspersonals

After the Second World War, the leadership of the Communist Party of Bologna (PCI) was made up of seasoned "professional revolutionaries", individuals who had joined the party in the early 1920s and who shared a deep set of formative experiences: clandestine opposition to fascism, participation in the Resistance, imprisonment, exile and political training in the Soviet Union. In 1945, however, they were confronted with an entirely new political landscape. Their activities now took place within a liberal-democratic framework, and they were tasked with promoting a “new party” – one that went beyond the traditional Leninist vanguard to connect with the masses and compete in democratic elections. The Bologna PCI leadership effectively created a unique political model by exploiting the opportunities offered by municipal self-government within a democratic framework. This enabled them to implement a robust urban reform agenda while retaining core Stalinist features within the party's structure, its concept of militancy and its broader international outlook. This mix of democratic commitment and authoritarian organisation proved remarkably effective and contributed to their sustained political success. In this way, the Bologna communists embraced and advanced the democratic possibilities of post-fascist Italy and used them to strengthen Italian democracy itself, which remained challenged by the residual influence of fascism and the class biases within various state institutions.