italian-studies: Scholarly discussions in any field of Italian studies
Cardiff University
School of European Studies
Dear Colleague,
The School of European Studies, Cardiff University, is pleased to invite you at the following event
which will take place tomoroow Wednesday 22 October 2008 at 16.15 pm in Room 2.18 (School of
European Studies, 65-68 Park Place,
Cardiff, CF10 3AS, see below for directions)
On the occasion of the publication of the English edition of his biography of Palmiro Togliatti,
Professor Aldo Agosti (Turin University, Italy) will present the paper:
"Togliatti, a man between two worlds"
Dinner will follow at 7.00 o’clock at the Park Plaza Cardiff Restaurant and we would be very
grateful if you let us know your attendance at least 2 weeks in advance.
Aldo Agosti is Professor of Contemporary History at Turin University in Italy. He is the author and
editor of numerous books about the history of the Socialist and Communist movements. His biography
of Togliatti has been described by Donald Sassoon as ‘the only authoritative, archive-based,
serious and balanced biography of the Communist leader’, will be published in September by I. B.
Tauris, London-New York. Copies will be available for purchase at a special price at the seminar.
Palmiro Togliatti was the leader of the Italian Communist Party from 1926 until his death in 1964.
He could not have become leader of the Italian Communist Party at a more difficult time in the
Party’s history. In fact, for almost 20 years he had to lead the party from abroad, mainly from
Moscow as Mussolini’s Fascist government had outlawed the organisation and arrested all the other
leading Communists, including Antonio Gramsci. While in exile, Togliatti rose rapidly through the
ranks of the Comintern, escaping Stalin’s purges largely as a result of his personal charisma and
political acumen. Those same qualities served him well after his return to Italy in 1944, when he
quickly transformed the remnants of the Italian Communist Party - by then just a small band of
persecuted militants - into the largest and most influential Communist movement in the West. The
Italian Communist Party’s growth in the years after the Second World War was also helped by
Togliatti’s unorthodox political strategy. Despite an unshakeable belief in the Soviet system and
‘real socialism’, he made important contributions to the constitution of the new Italian
republic and was always careful that his party operated within the democratic framework. This
strategy proved tremendously successful but it often put him at odds with the Soviet leadership.
Togliatti’s ability to justify this contradiction and remain on good terms with the governments in
both Moscow and Rome was therefore central to his success.
For confirmation and any further information please contact: [log in to unmask]
Apologies for any cross posting
Giuseppe Vatalaro
How to get here from Cardiff Central train station:
By foot: It is a 30 minute walk from the station to the department. Walk up St Mary's Street then
turn right onto Queen Street. Take a left next to River Island and walk straight up Park Place. The
Department is at the end of Park Place.
By train: You can also catch a train to the department. From Cardiff Central catch a train to
'Cathays'. From Cathays station it is a 5 minute walk along Park Place.
By taxi: There is a taxi rank at the front of the station, and fares should be around £4.
How to get here by car:
Take Junction 29 off the M4. Stay on the A48 until there are signs to the University and the City
Centre. At the large roundabout off the A48 again follow signs to the University (2nd left, the
A470). Follow this road until it reaches a fork. Take the left road onto Colum Road. About halfway
along there is a turning to the left to the Humanities Building. The Humanities car park is to the
right (Visitors should report to the lodge).
Dr Giuseppe Vatalaro
Admissions Tutor for Italian
School of European Studies
Cardiff University
65-68 Park Place
Cardiff CF10 3AS
Wales UK
Tel: +44(0)29 208 75637 Fax: +44 (0)29 2087 4946
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