Democratic Liberal Party (Italy)


The Democratic Liberal Party, or simply Liberal Democracy, was a social-liberal political party active in Italy in the earlier decades of the 20th century. Initially, the party was an alliance between progressive liberals, called Liberals, Democrats and Radicals.

History

The Liberals, Democrats and Radicals' alliance was formed for the 1919 general election. It came third after the Italian Socialist Party and the Italian People's Party, with 15.9% and 96 seats, doing particularly well in Piedmont and Southern Italy, especially in Sicily, the home-region of party's leader and former Prime Minister Vittorio Emanuele Orlando.
The Democratic Liberal Party was formed for the 1921 general election by the union of the individual politicians, most of whom had taken part to the joint electoral lists between the Radicals and the Liberals in many single-seat constituencies of the country in 1919, gaining 16.0% of the vote and 96 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. In 1921 the PLD gained 10.5% of the vote and 68 seats, doing particularly well in Piedmont and Southern Italy.
After World War II former Radicals and Democrats led by Francesco Saverio Nitti joined the National Democratic Union alongside Liberals and other elements of the old Liberal elite that governed Italy from the years of Giovanni Giolitti until the rise of Benito Mussolini and the instauration of the Fascist regime.

Ideology

The Democratic Liberal Party was the expression of the liberalism and radicalism in Italy, and the middle class, including cities' bourgeoisie, small business owners and artisans among its supporters. There was also a main group of Radicals, who supported universal suffrage and universal public schooling for all children.

Electoral results