Italian Democratic Socialist Party

The Italian Democratic Socialist Party (Partito Socialista Democratico Italiano, PSDI) is a minor social-democratic political party in Italy. Mimmo Magistro is the party leader.

The PSDI, before the decline in term of votes and members in the 1990s, has been an important force in Italian politics, being the longest serving partner in government for Christian Democracy. The longstanding leader of PSDI was Giuseppe Saragat, who was President of the Italian Republic from 1964 to 1971.

History

The years of the First Republic

The party was founded as Italian Workers' Socialist Party (Partito Socialista dei Lavoratori Italiani, PSLI) in 1947 by a splinter group of the Italian Socialist Party (PSI), due to the decision of the latter to form a joint-list with the Italian Communist Party (PCI) for the 1948 general election. This split, led by Giuseppe Saragat and the sons of Giacomo Matteotti, took the name of scissione di Palazzo Barberini from the name of a palace in Rome where it took place. In 1952, the party ultimately became the Italian Democratic Socialist Party, after joining forces with the smaller United Socialist Party in 1951.

In 1963 the party joined PSI to form the Unified Socialist Party, but in 1968, after a dismaying result at the general election, it left the new party, returning to the PSDI name in 1971.

In 1980 the party joined Christian Democracy, the Italian Socialist Party, the Italian Republican Party and the Italian Liberal Party in the five-party coalition...
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