Frank Nechvatal
The American/Italian Club is open to anyone interested in Italian culture. Our meetings are from October through April on the second Tuesday of each of those months at 6:00 p.m. in the Horizon Room. Please join us!
Through the summer the women of the club lunch together each month. Chris Nechvatal has graciously volunteered to organize and call those who signed up at the April meeting. If interested and you did not sign-up, please call Chris at 883-9262 (please after 9:00 a.m.). If she is not home leave a message on the answering machine. The June 14 luncheon was held in the Horizon Room. July, August and September luncheons may be scheduled in other locations.
In the continuing history of Italy we left off with the post WW II developments. After the economic boom from roughly 1946 to 1970 Italy suffered through more than a decade of political instability. This time frame has been called the “Years of Lead.” The Years of Lead were filled with social conflict as well as terrorist actions carried out by extra-parliamentary movements. The assassination of the Christian Democracy (DC) leader Aldo Moro led to the end of historic compromise between the DC and the Communist Party (PCI). In the 1980s, for the first time, two governments were managed by a republican and a socialist rather than a Christian Democrat. Through the 1980s the Socialist Party (PSI) became very critical of the communists and of the Soviet Union to the point that the socialists pushed to have the USA position Pershing II missiles in Italy. In 1992 a Second Republic of Italy was established to counter the years of political fighting along with terrorism. From 1992 through present time Italy has seen new parties developed to replace the dissolved DC and PCI parties. Through this timeframe the Italian government has been dominated by a center-left coalition of the People of Freedom Party and the Democratic Party. At present the cabinet of Italy is made up of the youngest members to date. The average age of a cabinet member is 47. This concludes our history of Italy. Stay tuned for current events.
Ciao