Communist Party of the Free Territory of Trieste

Communist Party of the Free Territory of Trieste (Italian: Partito Comunista del Territorio Libero di Trieste (PCTLT); Slovene: Komunistična partija Svobodnega tržaškega ozemlja ((KPSTO)) was a communist party in the Free Territory of Trieste. It was founded at a congress in 1945 by a merger of the local branches of the Italian Communist Party and the Communist Party of Slovenia as the Communist Party of the Julian Region (Partito Comunista della Regione Giuliana, PCRG, Komunistična partija Julijske krajine, KPJK). The party published a daily newspaper, Il Lavoratore.

Communist Party of the Free Territory of Trieste

Komunistična partija Svobodnega tržaškega ozemlja
Partito Comunista del Territorio Libero di Trieste
Founded1947
Dissolved1954
Merger ofLocal branch of Italian Communist Party and Communist Party of Slovenia
Succeeded byItalian-Slovenian Popular Front
Italian Communist Party
NewspaperIl Lavoratore
Youth wingCommunist Youth Federation of the Free State of Trieste
IdeologyCommunism
Marxism–Leninism
ColorsRed


History

Initial period

At the time of its foundation, the party favoured integration of the area with Yugoslavia.[1] This stood in contrast with the line of the Italian Communist Party and its leader Palmiro Togliatti, which opposed Yugoslav claims to the region. The main leaders of the party were Rudi Uršič and the Yugoslav partisan leader Branko Babič.

In 1947, when the Free Territory was formally constituted, the party adopted the name PCTLT/KPSTO.[2]

Tito-Cominform split

The party suffered a split following the 28 June 1948 resolution of Cominform, resulting in the expulsion of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia. The pro-Yugoslavia wing was led by Branko Babič, and the pro-Cominform wing was led by former Comintern agent Vittorio Vidali. The pro-Cominform wing was able to retain a majority in the Central Committee (6 against 4), and Vidali became the leader of the party. Under Vidali's leadership the party began opposing the annexation of the Free Territory by Yugoslavia.

The pro-Yugoslav minority was largely composed of Slovenian cadres. They formed a separate PCTLT under the leadership of Babič. The pro-Yugoslav minority then regrouped as the Italian-Slovenian Popular Front (FPIS).[3]

Although initially present in both the British-U.S.-controlled Zone A and the Yugoslavian-controlled Zone B, the PCTLT led by Vidali was suppressed in Zone B after the split. The FPIS took part in FTT elections in Zone A and continued to function after the integration of Zone A into Italy.

1949 election
Communist Party F.T.T entrance, Santa Croce's branch.

The PCTLT took part in the June 12, 1949 elections in the Free Territory. It obtained 35,568 votes (approximately 20% of the total vote), and 13 seats. In the same election, the pro-Yugoslav communists obtained one seat. In the rigged so-called "popular" election of the Zone B in 1950, the FPIS was largely majoritarian instead.[4]

Ethnic composition

PCTLT was the sole pluriethnical political force in the Free Territory at the time, with a large following amongst both Italian and Slovenian workers. It ran a separate Slovenian-language organ, Delo.[5]

Youth wing

The youth wing of the party was known as the Communist Youth Federation of the Free State of Trieste (Federazione Giovanile Comunista del Territorio Libero di Trieste). FGCTLT published Gioventù.[6] There was also an Anti-Fascist Youth Union of the Free Territory of Trieste, closely linked to the FGCTLT.[7]

Integration into PCI

After the Zone A was integrated into Italy in 1954, the party merged into the Italian Communist Party (PCI) in 1957.[2] Within the PCI, the Trieste communists had a Triestian Autonomous Federation.[6]

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2010-11-02.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2006-02-06. Retrieved 2006-08-24.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "PBM Storia". Archived from the original on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2006-08-24.
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-02-16. Retrieved 2006-08-25.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. Egon Pelikan Archived 2007-02-11 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Fondo WEISS - DOCUMENTO
  7. Archives of the Republic of Slovenia. SI AS 1575 Zveza antifašistične mladine Svobodnega tržaškega ozemlja, 1945-1950
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