National Democratic Union (Italy)

National Democratic Union
Unione Democratica Nazionale
Founded1946
IdeologyLiberalism
Monarchism
Political positionBig tent

The National Democratic Union (Italian: Unione Democratica Nazionale, UDN) was a political alliance of parties for the 1946 general election, formed by the Italian Liberal Party, the Labour Democratic Party and some other liberal, conservative and monarchist clubs. Its symbol was an Italian flag overcome by a shining star.

History

The party scored 6.8%, placing itself at the fourth place in the election.[1][2] This grouping, during the sessions of the Constituent Assembly, represented the continuation of the Liberal elite, which governed Italy from the years of Giovanni Giolitti until the rise of Benito Mussolini and the instauration of the Fascist regime.

Important politicians elected on the UDN lists were Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, Francesco Saverio Nitti, Luigi Einaudi, Benedetto Croce, Enrico De Nicola, Gaetano Martino, Giuseppe Paratore, Ivanoe Bonomi, Raffaele De Caro, Meuccio Ruini, Enrico Molè, Bruno Villabruna, Epicarmo Corbino and Aldo Bozzi.

The alliance was succeeded in the 1948 general election by the National Bloc.[3]

Composition

It was composed of the following political parties:

Party Ideology Leader Deputies
Italian Liberal Party (PLI) Conservative liberalism Manlio Brosio
Labour Democratic Party (DL) Social democracy Ivanoe Bonomi 8 out of 13[4]

Electoral results

Election Leader Votes % Seats Position Status
1946 Manlio Brosio 1,560,638 6.78
41 / 556
 4th Opposition

References

  1. ^ John Foot (2014). Modern Italy. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 235. ISBN 978-1-137-04192-0.
  2. ^ John Lamberton Harper (2002). America and the Reconstruction of Italy, 1945-1948. Cambridge University Press. p. 186. ISBN 978-0-521-52282-3.
  3. ^ Ram Mudambi; Pietro Navarra; Giuseppe Sobbrio (2001). "A History of the Italian Political System – 1913 to the Present". Rules, Choice and Strategy: The Political Economy of Italian Electoral Reform. Edward Elgar Publishing. pp. 31–32. ISBN 978-1-78195-082-1.
  4. ^ Even if 13 out of the 41 elected deputies were members of the DL, 5 members fled immediately after the poor result of the party.