See Also: Fanfani, Amintore(encyclopedia)

Fanfani, Amintore (sh)




born Feb. 6, 1908, Pieve Santo Stefano, Italy
died Nov. 20, 1999, Rome

Italian premier who formed and led the centre-left coalition that dominated Italian politics in the late 1950s and '60s.

Elected to Italy's constituent assembly (1946), he became secretary-general of the Christian Democratic Party (1954) after serving briefly as premier. With his party's victory in 1958, he became premier (1958-59) and stressed social reforms. Buoyed by widespread public reaction against rising neofascist activity, he was returned to the premiership (1960-63) and again promoted a reformist program. He gained Italy's election to the UN Security Council (1958) and served as president of the UN General Assembly in 1965. He again served as premier in 1982-83 and in 1987.