Social Democracy (Italy)

For the political party which existed from 1947 to 1998 alternatively known as the "Italian Social Democratic Party", see Italian Democratic Socialist Party.

Not to be confused with Social Democrats (Italy).

The Social Democracy party (Italian: Democrazia Sociale) was a radical and social-liberal political party in Italy.

Social Democracy Democrazia Sociale
Leader	Giovanni Antonio Colonna
Founded	26 April 1922 (1922-04-26)
Banned	6 November 1926 (1926-11-06)
Merger of	Constitutional Democratic Party, Radical Party, Democratic Party
Succeeded by	Labour Democratic Party (not legal successor)
Ideology	Radicalism Social liberalism
Political position	Centre to centre-left
Politics of Italy Political parties Elections

History

The Social Democracy party was formed for the 1919 general election by the union of the Constitutional Democratic Party with several other parties of the liberal left. In that occasion the party, that was especially strong in Southern Italy, gained 10.9% of the vote and 60 seats in the Chamber of Deputies.

Four years later, in 1921 general election the party won only 4.7% of the vote and 29 seats.^[1]

In January 1922 the "National Council of Social Democracy and Radicalism" was officially created; this event is considered the date of the party's official formation and of the dissolution of the Italian Radical Party. The main party's founders were Giovanni Antonio Colonna di Cesarò, Arturo Labriola and Ettore Sacchi.

After the March on Rome, the party took part to the governments of Benito Mussolini until July 1924. It gained only 1.6% of votes in the general election of the same year and Antonio Colonna di Cesarò took part to the Aventine Secession. The party was disbanded by the regime in 1926, as all the other parties.

After World War II some of its members joined the Labour Democratic Party, a centre-left party.

Electoral results

Chamber of Deputies
Election year	Votes	%	Seats	+/−	Leader
1919	622,310 (4th)	10.9	60 / 508	–	Giovanni Antonio Colonna
1921	309,191 (6th)	4.7	29 / 535	31	Giovanni Antonio Colonna
1924	111,035 (10th)	1.6	10 / 535	19	Giovanni Antonio Colonna

References

1. Piergiorgio Corbetta; Maria Serena Piretti, Atlante storico-elettorale d'Italia, Zanichelli, Bologna 2009