Dizionario di Politica

Authors: Bobbio, Matteucci, Pasquino
Summary: The entry surveys the history of radicalism in Great Britain, France and Italy. Radicalism as a rather heterogeneous political movement arose in England at the end of the 18th century, largely as a reaction to the immense transformations the Industrial Revolution was producing in every aspect of society. Radicalism aimed at a sharp change in the tenor of politics and civil life. In the 19th century, English radicalism drew on the utilitarian doctrines of Bentham and Mill. Between 1832 and 1867 an alliance existed between radicals and Whigs. At the turn of the century, the English radical movement was absorbed by the Labour party.
The French radical movement arose at the end of the 19th century. It was committed to such reforms as universal suffrage, separation of church and state, and secular education. In 1901 most French radical groups joined with the radical Socialist and radical Republican parties to form a single larger party.
Italian radicalism arose from the Action Party of the Risorgimento. In 1949 a group of radical intellectuals gathered around the weekly journal Il Mondo to oppose the moderation of the Christian Democratic Party. In the 1970s the Radical Party was reborn, under the leadership of Marco Pannella. It drew strength from its many links to local collectivist movements.