Twenty Years Later, Spadolini Still Speaks to Us
Giovanni Spadolini, "a civil and cultured patriot," as he has been described, passed away twenty years ago, a man who served the country with heart-felt patriotism that was always performed nobly.
Journalism, history and politics were the three aspects along which this eminent representative of the Italian secular and liberal world's personality was structured. He was a clear and passionate historian of the Risorgimento and modern Italy, a great journalist and an eminent political leader. "A unique progression of its kind, because there are truly few examples of people who know how to make of themselves exactly what they want to be," says Piero Craveri.
His journalistic debut is related to his first historical work published in the fall of 1947. The essay in question did not escape Mario Missiroli, editor-in-chief of Il Messaggero at the time, who quickly understood the young scholar's talents and invited him to write for the newspaper. Two years later he began collaborating with Il Mondo, led by Mario Pannunzio. He was part of the newspaper starting with its first issue with an article that revealed the issues that would be developed the following year in Il Papato Socialista. The book, which met with considerable success, paved the way for him to teach at Università di Firenze, while starting to collaborate with the Gazzetta del Popolo ed Epoca, a new weekly published by Mondadori.
In February 1955, at just thirty years old, he was asked to manage Il Resto del Carlino. In the thirteen years he was at the helm of Bologna's newspaper, as well as the next four at Corriere della Sera, which he directed in one of the most troubled periods of the history of the Republic, he devoted himself to his task tirelessly, with the dedication of a priest or a missionary.
He would leave the Milan newspaper in March 1972 at the initiative of the owners, who replaced him in an unexpected and perfunctory manner. In the same year, at the invitation of Ugo La Malfa, he stood for elections and made his entry into Parliament, in the Senate. This new commitment did not entirely replace the previous one, and he continued to write occasionally for newspapers – Turin's La Stampa in particular, to which he remained faithful until the last days.
In '79, with the death of La Malfa, Spadolini assumed the secretariat of the Italian Republican Party, making the strength of the recently deceased leader's ideas into the linchpin of his political initiative.
His most important political experience, however, occurred in 1981, when at the height of an economic and moral crisis rampant with terrorism, the President called him to form the country's first "lay" government. This allowed him to field test the nation's willingness to renew the institutions of the Republic.
On that topic Spadolini moved firmly in the years at Palazzo Chigi, demonstrating that clear ideas and courageous choices can jump-start a political system mired in paralysis and sullied by many dark areas. The battle resulted in: the approval of standards that outlawed the P2 masonic lodge; a more effective fight against terrorism; the reduction of inflation that was wearing down the country; and in a marked departure from the degrading practice of dividing up patronage of political posts between the parties.
Such conduct would also characterized his next effort, during which he could act as a "super partes" figure that was congenial to him. As president of the Senate he concentrated his efforts in the implementation of an upper house engaged in continuous and sometimes obscure work which produced significant results; practically it was testament to his Risorgimento liberalism that was free of all pettiness. It was no coincidence that journalist Indro Montanelli, commenting on the actions of his former editor, did not fail to point out that "Italians are not stupid, they can smell that Spadolini's shirt is clean: the man cannot be blackmailed."
These were issues to which Spadolini would return, ten years later, in May 1994, in his last speech in parliament: "We need to revise the Constitution," he said in that memorable speech, "we have to adapt it to the needs of a functioning democracy , a democracy as yet to be built. " A speech in high tones, a kind of moral testament, pronounced already knowing he was weakened by an illness that three months later would end his days.
In this story of the complex mosaic that was the life of Giovanni Spadolini, one piece is missing, namely the twenty years that he spent at the helm of our University. It is a deliberate choice, in order not to deprive the reader of the pleasure of looking through the beautiful and moving pages written by Luigi Guatri (Li ho visti così, Milan 2009, pp. 101-118), the man who perhaps most of all worked alongside Spadolini to prepare the future of our university.