Alcide De Gasperi: A visionary leader who, guided by faith and resilience, transformed war-torn Italy and laid the foundation for a united and peaceful Europe. Discover how his legacy continues to influence the political and spiritual landscape of our continent today.
Alcide De Gasperi was born in 1881 in Trentino, a mountainous and deeply Catholic region. Raised in a modest family, he attended the University of Vienna where he majored in literature, participating from a young age in Christian-social inspired political activities. Political commitment and faith were always closely linked in his life, uniting religious and social values.
De Gasperi’s role in the reconstruction of Italy
In 1946, De Gasperi became the first Prime Minister of the Italian Republic. Italy was in a desperate condition: six out of ten houses had been destroyed by bombing, and the country had lost the war on the wrong side. De Gasperi managed to lead the country through the reconstruction process, culminating in the economic boom of the following years. During his visit to Washington in 1947, he presented the Truman administration with the needs of an Italy seeking rebirth, thus gaining much-needed support from the Marshall Plan.
De Gasperi’s European legacy and the unification of the continent
In addition to his leadership in Italy, De Gasperi played a key role in the birth of the European Union. Together with Conrad Adenauer and Robert Schumann, De Gasperi laid the foundation for a new united Europe based on Judeo-Christian roots. The three leaders, all of whom had been persecuted by Nazi-fascism, understood that peace in Europe could only be achieved through cooperation and fraternity. De Gasperi regarded politics as “the highest form of charity,” based on a Christian brotherhood that could lead to the birth of a stable democracy.
