He was a member of all the post-war Italian governments over the span of half a century, first sitting in a governmental chair in 1947, finally rising from one in 1992 when his government resigned. Well, not rising exactly. He remained in the chair of a senator, which is a position he was appointed to for life in June 1991. The famous Italian comedian Toto used to joke: “As there is no rose without thorns, so there is no government without Andreotti.” May 6 will mark 11 years since his death.
Giulio Andreotti sat on the parliamentary benches for more than 60 years. He was the most influential and most prominent post-war Italian politician. A seven-time prime minister, 34-time minister and state secretary. Andreotti first became a member of government at 27 years of age; he helped put Italy back on its feet after Mussolini's dictatorship, drafting its constitution. He was there when Italy joined the European Union, he was one of the few politicians who had good relations with both Israel and Palestine, and he made efforts to improve relations with various Arabic countries. And, even though he was open about his pro-American stance and supported his country's membership in NATO, he was the first Christian democrat to have formed a government with the support of the communists.
In April 1973 with then President of the USA Richard Nixon.
Meteoric rise
He was introduced to the political scene in 1945 by Alcide De Gasperi, founder of the Democrazia Cristiana – the Italian Christian Democracy, who is a true European political legend. The two of them met by happenstance in a Vatican library, where De Gasperi held a humble position appointed to him by the Vatican to help him escape poverty, which he was condemned to by the fascist regime. But even before that, young Andreotti was noticed in the 1940s by Monsignor Giovanni Battista Montini, the future Pope Paul VI, and it was he who would later implore De Gasperi to give Giulio the post of state secretary in May 1947. Despite their starkly differing personalities, they developed a strong bond, and so Andreotti joined the Constituent Assembly at 27 years of age and became De Gasperi's closest collaborator. When De Gasperi retired in 1953, Andreotti started building his own career. He put together his first government in 1972, which unfortunately lasted only nine days. He would go on to become prime minister another six times. As the leader of the Christian Democracy, the most powerful post-war party in the country, he played a large part in transforming the mostly agricultural Italy into an industrial power. He personally knew nearly every post-war American president and British prime minister. Margaret Thatcher, whom Andreotti admired by the way, once complained to the media that he never let anyone know they were his friend. When he once did so, however, it cost him his career as well as his freedom...
When the mafia sings
It must be said, first and foremost, that in a country where voter sentiment changes as often as the season, Giulio Andreotti managed to build a very strong voter base in Sicily. We must also consider the fact that there was scarcely a scandal in Italy without his name being mentioned. All of this culminated in multiple cases that led to the lifetime senator first losing his immunity and later facing trial in the murder case of journalist Mino Pecorelli, who was allegedly planning to publish evidence not only of Andreotti's ties to the Mafia but also a story about the Christian democratic leader intentionally failing to stop the murder of his prime minister Aldo Moro by the Red Brigades a year prior. When the Cosa Nostra murdered Salvatore Lima, the mayor of Palermo with ties to the mafia, a historic investigation into political corruption called "Mani pulite" was already underway in Milan, which ultimately led to the dissolution of the Christian Democratic party. The mafia would go on to assassinate the anti-mafia judge Giovanni Falcone, and a former driver of Sicilian mafia boss Toto Riina would bring to light a twisted kiss between his boss and Andreotti, which helped open a major case against the politician who was a symbol of the Christian Democracy's time in power. More than two hundred witnesses took the stand against Andreotti. There are statements of former mafia henchmen, personal drivers, and hotel employees putting Andreotti in personal meetings with the highest representatives of the Sicilian mafia on at least four different occasions. The strict sentence of 24 years split Italy down the middle in 2002. However, the Italians were always divided in their opinions of Andreotti. The prime minister at the time, Silvio Berlusconi, who was on trial multiple times, said that Andreotti was the victim of a "justice system gone mad". The godfather of the mafia would later admit, however: "Yes, I did meet with the Christian democratic leader accompanied by a police escort, but the kiss never happened!"
Actor Charlie Chaplin receiving a gold medal and insignias from Giulio Andreotti, making him an honorary High Official of the Italian Republic.
Giulio Andreotti with wife Livia alongside singer Frank Sinatra, then President of the USA Richard Nixon, and his wife Pat (April 1973).
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