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The Hot Autumn () of 1969–70 is a term used for a series of large strikes in the factories and industrial centers of
Northern Italy Northern Italy (, , ) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. The Italian National Institute of Statistics defines the region as encompassing the four Northwest Italy, northwestern Regions of Italy, regions of Piedmo ...
, in which workers demanded better pay and better conditions. During 1969 and 1970 there were over 440 hours of strikes in the region. The decrease in the flow of labour
migration Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...
from
Southern Italy Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions. The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...
had resulted in nearly
full employment Full employment is an economic situation in which there is no cyclical or deficient-demand unemployment. Full employment does not entail the disappearance of all unemployment, as other kinds of unemployment, namely structural and frictional, may ...
levels in the northern part of the country, meaning that the workforce there now had the leverage to start exercising its influence.


Overview

Due to increased literacy levels in general and especially among workers, following a wave of student protests influenced by similar events in
May 1968 in France May 68 () was a period of widespread protests, strikes, and civil unrest in France that began in May 1968 and became one of the most significant social uprisings in modern European history. Initially sparked by student demonstrations agains ...
, leftist students started agitating for social reforms and increased
class consciousness In Marxism, class consciousness is the set of beliefs that persons hold regarding their social class or economic rank in society, the structure of their class, and their common class interests. According to Karl Marx, class consciousness is an awa ...
. Workers joined in on these protests and began to demand increased wages. Many of them were being laid off because of increased efficiencies in factories. Not all of the workers' demands for collective control came about, but more basic demands such as a 40-hour work week and increased pay were achieved. The reasons for discontent varied - while the usual demands for better pay and working conditions were a factor, the tensions were also increased by the fact that much of the workforce had migrated from the much poorer
South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...
. They were generally unhappy at the society that had forced them to leave their homes in search of work, and wanted to get back at the employers who, in their view, had been exploiting them with lower than average wages for so many years. The phrase ''autunno caldo'' has since been applied in the
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
press to describe other periods marked by significant strikes, although in later decades such seasonal strikes have more often been directed against the government's budget plans, which are usually planned and publicly debated during the autumn months.


Origins

The period known as the "Hot Autumn" in Italy began in the summer of 1968, which saw a series of strikes as workers demanded a flat-rate pay rise. The unrest that lasted from 1966 to 1972 began in the universities. These student movements set a precedent with their use of disruptive forms of protest which included strikes, demonstrations, and occupation of university buildings. Students formed assemblies where the assembly was not only a mass meeting, but a body that made binding decisions. This student movement eventually shifted from university issues and moved toward industrial struggles. Examples of the shift to industrial struggles can be seen through the protests that occurred in the car factories of Turin in 1969. Turin was the center of FIAT factories, and became the focus of continual wildcat strikes. Workers were supported by university students of the New Left, and demanded wage increases and the same conditions as
white-collar worker A white-collar worker is a person who performs professional service, desk, managerial, or administrative work. White-collar work may be performed in an office or similar setting. White-collar workers include job paths related to government, co ...
s within the company. The protests were also a scene of major violence as some protests drew the hostility of the police. A strike against high rents outside the factory gates in Corso Traiano was attacked by the police and incidents like this led to a running battle with the police. These protests were also influenced by the PCI, and often changed from
Leninist Leninism (, ) is a political ideology developed by Russian Marxist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin that proposes the establishment of the Dictatorship of the proletariat#Vladimir Lenin, dictatorship of the proletariat led by a revolutionary Vangu ...
to
autonomist Autonomism or ''autonomismo'', also known as autonomist Marxism or autonomous Marxism, is an anti-capitalist Anti-capitalism is a political ideology and Political movement, movement encompassing a variety of attitudes and ideas that oppose ...
and '' operaista'' or from parties to activist networks. The "Hot Autumn" was followed by the " Years of Lead", which was a period of far-right and far-left violence including bombings, shootings and kidnappings.


Context

The Hot Autumn occurred at a time of major weakness within the Italian government. The
Christian Democracy Christian democracy is an ideology inspired by Christian social teaching to respond to the challenges of contemporary society and politics. Christian democracy has drawn mainly from Catholic social teaching and neo-scholasticism, as well ...
had been in office for 20 years. During the latter stages of that time period, there was an overall degeneration, as people looked to vote for politicians who could give them favors, as the party could not be voted out. This overall clientelism within the Italian government led to both corruption and ineffective governance. The issues of the "Hot Autumn" can also be tied to the Confederazione Italiana dei Sindacati Lavoratori (
Italian Confederation of Workers' Trade Unions The Italian Confederation of Trades Unions (, ; CISL ) is a national trade union centre in Italy representing various Catholic-inspired groups linked with Christian Democracy party. It was founded on 30 April 1950, when Catholics in the Italian ...
, or CISL). The CISL was based on two principles, which were the importance of firm-level union activity, and the professionalization of union activists. By the 1970s and 1980s, it can be seen that the CISL was a bureaucratic and politicized organization. It was tied to factions of the Christian Democratic Party, where the passing of favors was how the Italian government was run. Economic problems also surrounded the formation and fallout of the "Hot Autumn" period. In the six years following 1969 there was a massive redistribution of income, and the share of GNP accruing to dependent labor went from 57 to 73 percent. Redistributing that income led to increased consumption and reduced savings and this was a problem already in debt. The "Hot Autumn" protests started at the university, but their transition to the industrial stage pointed out the weak governance of the first republic, for economic policies were ineffective and sparked many of the frustrations of the blue-collar working class.


See also

* Years of Lead *
Workerism Workerism is a political theory that emphasizes the importance of or glorifies the working class. Workerism, or , was of particular significance in Italian left-wing politics, being largely embraced in Italian political groups ranging from Ital ...
*
Autonomism Autonomism or ''autonomismo'', also known as autonomist Marxism or autonomous Marxism, is an anti-capitalist social movement and Marxist-based theoretical current that first emerged in Italy in the 1960s from workerism (). Later, post-Marxist ...
*
Lotta Continua Lotta Continua (LC; ) was a Far-left politics, far-left militant organization in Italy, during the historical period of social turmoil and political violence in the country known as the "Years of Lead (Italy), Years of Lead". Its leaders Adria ...
*
Potere Operaio Potere Operaio (English: "Workers' Power") was a radical left-wing Italian political group, active between 1967 and 1973. Among the group's leaders were Antonio ('Toni') Negri, Nanni Balestrini, Franco Piperno, Oreste Scalzone and Valerio ...
* Autobiography of a generation, Luisa Passerini Similar periods in other countries around the same time: * The
long hot summer of 1967 The long, hot summer of 1967 refers to a period of widespread racial unrest across major American cities during the summer of 1967, where over 150 riots erupted, primarily fueled by deep-seated frustrations regarding police brutality, poverty ...
in the United States *
Protests of 1968 The protests of 1968 comprised a worldwide escalation of social conflicts, which were predominantly characterized by the rise of left-wing politics, Anti-war movement, anti-war sentiment, Civil and political rights, civil rights urgency, youth C ...
** The
May 1968 events in France May 68 () was a period of widespread protests, strikes, and civil unrest in France that began in May 1968 and became one of the most significant social uprisings in modern European history. Initially sparked by student demonstrations agains ...
* The
Winter of Discontent The Winter of Discontent was the period between late September 1978 and February 1979 in the United Kingdom characterised by widespread strikes by private, and later public sector trade unions demanding pay rises greater than the limits Prime ...
in 1978–79 in the United Kingdom *
Außerparlamentarische Opposition The Außerparlamentarische Opposition (German language, German for ''extra-parliamentary opposition'', commonly known as the APO), was a political protest movement in West Germany during the latter half of the 1960s and early 1970s, forming a cen ...
and
German student movement The West German student movement (), sometimes called the 1968 movement in West Germany (), was a left-wing social movement that consisted of mass student protests in West Germany in 1968. Participants in the movement later came to be known as ...
in
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
** see also
Red Army Faction The Red Army Faction (, ; RAF ),See the section "Name" also known as the Baader–Meinhof Group or Baader–Meinhof Gang ( ), was a West German far-left militant group founded in 1970 and active until 1998, considered a terrorist organisat ...
**
German Autumn The German Autumn () refers to the period and political atmosphere in the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) during September and October 1977. This period was marked by a series of attacks by the Red Army Faction (RAF), a far-left mili ...


References


External links


Italy Hot Autumn Photo Gallery

Italy 60s-70s collection at the Libertarian Communist Library

“Hot Autumn” Italy’s Factory Councils and Autonomous Workers’ Assemblies, 1970s
{{1968 protests 20th century in Italy Labor disputes in Italy 1969 in Italy 1970 in Italy Years of Lead (Italy) Protests in Italy 1969 labor disputes and strikes 1970 labor disputes and strikes Politics of Italy Communism in Italy