موقف الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية من الانتخابات البرلمانية الإيطالية أبريل 1948

Abstract EN

The present research investigates the U.

S.

position in confronting the communist extension in the post-World War II years in Italy, as leftist parties have begun to grow stronger in Italy, threatening to take over complete control of the government.

The United States, therefore, set its goals not to allow Italy to fall under communist control, because this threatens American interests in Europe and the region in general.

The United States started to set the axes of its policy in Italy to prevent the parties of the Popular Front (Italian Communist Party and Italian Socialist Party) from controlling the parliament in April 1948 elections, and then controlling the government.

This is why the United States began to provide support to the Christian Democratic Party government, headed by De Gasperi and the main anti-communist parties.

This support was represented in the military aid of the Italian armed forces in order for resisting any communist attempt to control the government by force.

Similarly, the most important areas of support for the Italian government were economic assistance, especially in the light of the economic difficulties that Italy was suffering during that period.

Hence, the United States provided loans, food aid and facilities to the Italian government, particularly during the election period.

At the same time, the US National Security Council was preparing plans to face any communist attempt to control the rule in Italy, before elections or after elections.

Additionally, plans are made in case the Communist Party participates in the Italian government or communist domination over the government by legal means.

In the same period, the US ensured that France and the United Kingdom supported its policy in Italy, and supported the Italian government.

The United States launched an anti-communist propaganda campaign, by urging the Catholic Church to attack the Popular Front parties during the elections.

It also encouraged a campaign of “Messages from America, ” through which messages from Italian-Americans were sent to their relatives and friends in Italy to urge them to vote for the anti-communist parties.

The Communist Party and the Soviet Union tried to counter the American moves, but the election results came in favor of anti-communist parties, which represented a success for the US policy of intervention to prevent the communist extension in Western Europe.