Palmiro Togliatti | |
|---|---|
 Photo of comrade Togliatti | |
| Born | 26 March 1893 Genoa, Italy |
| Died | 21 August 1964 Yalta, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Cause of death | Cerebral hemorrhage |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Political orientation | Marxism-Leninism |
| Political party | Italian Communist Party |
Palmiro Michele Nicola Togliatti (26 March 1893 – 21 August 1964) was the founder and leader of the Communist Party of Italy.
Early life
Togliatti was born in 1893.[1]
Prewar activism
In 1914, Togliatti joined the Italian Socialist Party and he helped found the Communist Party of Italy in 1921. After Antonio Gramsci's imprisonment, he was elected leader of the party but was exiled to France by Mussolini.
Postwar activism
Togliatti returned to Italy after Mussolini was overthrown and ran in the 1948 election. The election was rigged by the CIA, but Togliatti still managed to get 30% of the vote.[2]
In the late 1950s, Togliatti encouraged the communist movement to develop national paths to socialism that were not centered around the Soviet Union.[3]
He died of natural causes in 1964 and a city in Russia was renamed after him.