Nilde Iotti

thumb|Nilde Iotti Leonilde "Nilde" Iotti (1920 – 1999) was an Italian politician, member of the Italian Communist Party (PCI). Towards the end of World War Two, she fought as a partisan for the Italian resistance. She was the first and only woman member of the PCI to become the president of the Chamber of Deputies, an office she held for three consecutive legislatures from 1979 to 1992, becoming the longest-serving post-war president of the Chamber. Quotes (About the the of the 1990 high school graduation exam) I would have proposed a different topic. I would have set the Italian exam paper on: “What are the elements that—historically, culturally, and institutionally—define the unity of a country, in a world that, on the one hand, increasingly values particular realities (from an ethnic, traditional, or cultural point of view) and, on the other, broader supranational dimensions?” Noi non ce la saremmo cavata, La Stampa, 22 June 1990. (About the Bicameral Committee for Constitutional Reforms) The conditions are in place for positive work. We must all carry it out with the best interests of our country in mind. We will and must be judged on this work. E Iotti la costituente chiede più federalismo, la Repubblica, 30 January 1998. I believe the time is ripe for a woman as President of the Italian Republic. This is also thanks to the long journey women have made over the past 50 years in the fight for rights and complete equality. :*‘’Bonino: “Yes to the challenge for the Quirinale”‘’, ‘'La Stampa’', March 7, 1999. (About the comparison between Palmiro Togliatti and Massimo D'Alema) D'Alema has great political intelligence, but he has less experience, which leads him to be more impetuous and less attentive to repercussions. ‘’Iotti attacks the leader: Togliatti would not have nominated Di Pietro‘’, ‘'la Repubblica’', October 7, 1997. Since women have been recognized as fully equal in the political sphere, with the right to vote and stand for election, it follows that women themselves must be emancipated from conditions of backwardness and inferiority in all areas of social life, and restored to a legal position that does not undermine their personality and dignity as women and citizens. From a speech to the Constituent Assembly of the Italian Republic, 1946; quoted in Tiziana Bagnato, ‘’Nilde Iotti, A pioneer of women's politics‘’, ‘'Instoria.it’', no. 17, October 2006. (About the exploratory task of forming a government entrusted to her by Francesco Cossiga) Perhaps to say that it is a historic event is to say too much. But certainly, it is a development of no small importance. :*‘’“I light a candle, so that it won't be me”‘’, ‘'La Stampa’', March 28, 1987. (About Palmiro Togliatti) They spoke of his ties to Stalin and his awe, even in difficult times. In reality, he knew him little: they had met on three or four occasions. He admired him as a tough and tenacious fighter, but he understood the revelations of the 20th Congress and was shocked by them. [...] He had a keen sensitivity, a strong propensity to understand. I know that the image of him is different, but I knew him in another way. He defended himself against facts that deeply disturbed him, but his intelligence forced him to accept them as moments in the journey of civilization. Enzo Biagi, La vita è stare alla finestra. La mia storia, Rizzoli, 2017. (About the defeat of the Popular Democratic Front in the 1948 elections) On April 18, we found ourselves faced with a population called upon for the first time, unlike in 1946, to choose the parties that would govern after the breakup of the anti-fascist unity. It was a society we knew very little about. From an interview with ‘'l'Unità’'; quoted in ‘’[http://www.archiviolastampa.it/component/option,com_lastampa/task,search/mod,libera/action,viewer/Itemid,3/page,9/articleid,1326_02_1988_0094_0030_19271116/ Nilde Iotti recalls April 18, 1948. “At that time, the Italian Communist Party did not understand society,” La Stampa, April 16, 1988. (About Massimo D'Alema secretary of the Democratic Party of the Left) At a time like this, we need a party leader with many skills. Federico Geremicca, ‘’A minefield for D'Alema‘’, ‘'la Repubblica’', March 24, 1997. The Constitution does not and cannot have either an ideology or a partisan philosophy. From ‘’Nilde Iotti, On divorce, Parliamentary speeches‘’, ‘'Perlaretorica.it’', November 25, 1969. (About nuclear armaments) The atomic race has reached a dangerous and intolerable limit, as ordinary citizens in every country understand. The time has come for their leaders to understand this too. :*From a speech to Michelin workers; quoted in ‘’A message of peace and hope from Nilde Iotti visiting the “Granda”‘’, ‘'La Stampa’', March 18, 1985. thumbnail|Nilde Iotti with Palmiro Togliatti The presence of women in Parliament has elevated women's issues as an integral part of Italian political life. In the past, these issues were kept on the sidelines. From the speech at the conference ‘'Violence and Solidarity’'; quoted in ‘’Iotti, women, vote for women‘, 'La Stampa’, March 6, 1992. The Resistance was an extraordinary event. It achieved a truly exceptional unity that ranged from Badoglio's officers to communist workers. Nilde Iotti rievoca il 18 aprile '48. "Allora il Pci non capì la società", La Stampa, 16 April 1988. (Referring to the Northern League) The leagues stir up old ideas of separation and selfishness that call national unity into question. ‘’“A Chamber of Regions”, ‘'La Stampa’', March 30, 1992. In the democratic system established by the Constitution, the Parliament, and only the Parliament, is the expression of the will of the people. Our Constitution does not allow the country to be without a Parliament endowed with its powers for even a single day. ‘’“Parliament remains sovereign”‘’, ‘'La Stampa’', February 23, 1992. We ask that children born outside of marriage be recognized in all respects, both during marriage and when that marriage has broken down, because we believe that this is the only possible solution, the only morally just solution. [...] Children do not ask to be born, and the responsibility for their birth does not lie with them, but with the parents who brought them into the world. Therefore, the responsibility of the parents cannot fall on them. e della Repubblica italiana|Costituzione]] non ha e non può avere né un'ideologia né una filosofia di parte.<ref name=divorzio>Da Nilde Iotti, Sul divorzio, Discorsi parlamentari, Perlaretorica.it, 25 November 1969. thumbnail|Nilde Iotti meets Shimon Peres, 1985 I shouldn't speak, given that I was president of the Chamber of Deputies, but de Mita's main flaw is that he wants to respond to everyone who speaks, one by one. He never waits for the discussion on a point to be exhausted. :*‘’Iotti: “De Mita does not know how to be president”, La Stampa, November 19, 1992. (About the attack to Palmiro Togliatti) It is impossible to understand that dramatic event without recalling the heated climate that followed the Christian Democrats' resounding election victory on April 18, 1948. That climate was very important, it was decisive. No one could have imagined that the election campaign led by the Church of Pius XII and the civic committees of Luigi Gedda could reach such a degree of violence. A violence that did not abate on the part of the victors even after their overwhelming success. That atmosphere, I repeat, was undoubtedly at the root of the attack to Togliatti. :*‘’Four gunshots to kill the Best‘’, ‘'la Repubblica’', July 14, 1998. (About her relationship with Palmiro Togliatti) To think that I could have made an emotional ultimatum such as “if you stay in Russia, I'll leave you” is to ignore the nature of our relationship and Togliatti's temperament. :*‘’A story of love and politics‘’, ‘'La Stampa’', March 28, 1987. (About women's commitments beyond work) When I started my political career, I had a home and had to think about that too, in addition to the thousand commitments that political life entails. :*‘’Parliament celebrates Nilde Iotti's 70th birthday‘’, ‘'La Stampa’', April 10, 1990. (Abot attack to Palmiro Togliatti) When, a few days after his surgery, he was allowed to read the newspapers, Togliatti wanted to read the reports of the attack. He was struck by a nine-column headline in L'Unità: “Away with the government of civil war.” I remember his comment: if they had written “Away with the Minister of the Interior,” that would have been a request that was not only plausible but also acceptable! And in fact, it later emerged that in the Council of Ministers, which met urgently on the same day as the attack, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlo Sforza, and his undersecretary, a very young Aldo Moro, had raised the issue of the Minister of the Interior's resignation. ‘’Togliatti, the political meaning of an attack‘’, ‘'libertaegiustizia.it’', July 13, 2010 (About the request for a new Constituent Assembly during Tangentopoli) A constituent assembly is convened when there is such a rupture within the country, as happened after the war and after the fall of fascism, and this was indispensable. Even in the presence of very serious events, of a dangerous degeneration of the political system, we are not in a post-war situation, and resorting to a constituent assembly seems to me to be truly excessive. From a speech at the University of Florence; quoted in ‘’“Excessive recourse to a Constituent Assembly”‘’, ‘'La Stampa’', March 16, 1993. Interviewer: In recent months, you have become even more popular because you are the author of a proposal to drastically reduce—if not halve—the number of deputies and senators. Why? Nilde Iotti: In 1948, when the Constitution of the Italian Republic came into force, we were emerging from fascism and there was a need to reestablish a relationship, a democratic fabric with society. But now there are: Regional Councils, which were elected in 1970, Provincial Councils, Municipal Councils. We are faced with a much more complex society, a more complex democracy. So, I believe that the number of parliamentarians is really too high. Interview by Raffaella Carrà, ‘’Pronto Rafaella?‘’, January 23, 1984. RVM republished by Mirta Merlino in a video interview with Luciano Violante entitled -08-10-2019-286233/ Cut in the number of parliamentarians, Luciano Violante: “We risk electing the rich or those who are supported by lobbies”'‘, broadcasted on L'aria che tira, La7, October 8, 2019 (from minute 1:30 to minute 2:20). URL archived on laria-che-tira/video/taglio-dei-parlamentari-luciano-violante-rischiamo-di-eleggere-i-ricchi-o-coloro-che-sono-sostenuti-08-10-2019-286233/ October 8, 2019. Intervista a Nilde Iotti: "Così 30 anni fa la fine di Togliatti" From an interview of Alfonso Madeo e Alberto Papuzzi, La Stampa, 13 August 1994 We loved the mountains. Togliatti was a keen walker, as was I. (About Togliatti's memorial) It is not true that Togliatti was exploited, that the memorial was used against Khrushchev. I do not see a connection between the memorial and the fall of Khrushchev. The great process that would lead to this event was already underway in the USSR. (About his last trip to Russia) Togliatti was concerned about relations between the USSR and China, and about the situation between the party and intellectuals that had arisen after Khrushchev had taken a very rigid and harsh stance. Iotti: risolvere Tangentopoli From an interview of Gad Lerner, La Stampa, 4 July 1997 (Aboout the Togliatti amnesty of 1946) The amnesty helped break the continuity with a regime that constantly preached revenge. (About Togliatti's failure to participate in the Resistance movement) I assure you that Togliatti was not far from the Resistance. He was a cold man, yes. But he hated badges, and the only one he always wanted to show off was the one given to him by the Volunteer Corps of Freedom. If he could have, he would have parachuted into northern Italy. Cold, yes, but he had utopia inside him. Talking about amnesty in the case of the Years of Lead would be out of place. Let's not forget that the armed struggle was waged against a democratic state, not against a fascist regime. (About Clean Hands) What frightens and worries me is the slowness of the judicial proceedings in the face of a perverse intertwining of politics and business that has increasingly taken on the configuration of a vast, widespread, ramified system. Inaugural speeches as President of the Chamber of Deputies thumb|Election of Nilde Iotti as President of the Chamber of Deputies, 8th legislature, it is visible the future President of Republic Oscar Luigi Scalfaro I myself—I won't hide it from you—am experiencing this moment in an almost symbolic way, sensing in it a profound meaning that transcends my own person and affects millions of women who, through arduous, patient, and tenacious struggles, have paved the way for their emancipation. Having been one of them and having devoted so much of my work to their redemption, to the affirmation of their equal social and human responsibility, is and always will be a source of pride in my life. [...] The moment we are going through is dramatic and difficult, as we are all aware. Terrorism continues its nefarious and criminal work. A few days ago in Rome, there was yet another attempt to massacre peaceful workers gathered at their headquarters, exercising their first and highest democratic and constitutional right, that of freedom of association and expression. This very Assembly has had to resort to security measures, which are undoubtedly necessary. But woe betide us, ladies and gentlemen, if we do not feel with all our strength and with all our sense of responsibility that parliamentary assemblies express the highest degree of popular sovereignty. From the inaugural address as President of the Chamber of Deputies, 8th legislature, June 20, 1979; available at Camera.it. The economic crisis, with its worrying aspects of inflation and unemployment, threatens the future of entire generations, especially young people and women who are demanding an adequate place in society, made more aware of their rights by the great battles for freedom and emancipation of recent decades. Alongside them, millions of workers are committed to advancing their achievements, defending and implementing the instruments of mediation and agreement that have made conflicts in the world of work an essential component of our democracy, a testament to its civil and modern quality. [...] Italian democracy has known in recent years, and still knows, fierce enemies that must be fought and defeated with the force of the Constitution and the laws, with the participation and support of citizens, and with the dedication of all those who believe in democratic values, each committing themselves in their own position of responsibility, often to the point of maximum sacrifice. We owe them our gratitude; their testimony must be matched by our adoption, in full freedom of judgment, of the decisions necessary for the defense and development of republican institutions. From the inaugural address as President of the Chamber of Deputies, 9th legislature, July 12, 1983; available at Camera.it''. External links Category:1920 births Category:1999 deaths Category:Women politicians in Italy Category:Atheists from Italy Category:Anti-fascists Category:Women born in the 1920s