The Liberal Foundation (''Fondazione Liberal''), since 2009 called Liberal-Popular Foundation (''Fondazione Liberal-Popolare''), was a foundation led by
Ferdinando Adornato
Ferdinando Adornato (born 11 May 1954) is an Italian politician and journalist.
Biography
On 8 June 1994, he founded and led the group ''Area'', "an area of programmatic comparison ... inspired liberal, Christian and environmentalist ... elemen ...
that represented the conservative, liberal, secular and Catholic wing of the
Union of the Centre.
The foundation was organized on the territory through the Liberal Clubs (''Circoli Liberal'').
History
It was founded in 1995 by Ferdinando Adornato and
Ernesto Galli della Loggia, as a liberal-democratic inspiration foundation that bridged between the left opposition (formed by the
Democratic Party of the Left) and that of the Centre (composed by the
Italian People's Party), to build a new alternative to the Centre-right coalition of
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; 29 September 193612 June 2023) was an Italian Media proprietor, media tycoon and politician who served as the prime minister of Italy in three governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a mem ...
.
The first steering committee included: Ferdinando Adornato,
Antonio Baldassarre,
Augusto Antonio Barbera,
Rodolfo Brancoli,
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (; 9 December 1920 – 16 September 2016) was an Italian politician, statesman and banker who was the President of Italy from 1999 to 2006 and the Prime Minister of Italy from 1993 to 1994.
A World War II veteran, C ...
,
Franco Debenedetti,
Diego Della Valle, Ernesto Galli della Loggia,
Alfio Marchini,
Mino Martinazzoli
Fermo "Mino" Martinazzoli (; 3 November 1931 – 4 September 2011) was an Italian lawyer, politician, and former minister. He was the last secretary of the Christian Democracy (Italy), Christian Democracy (DC) party and the first secretary of the ...
,
Vittorio Merloni,
Angelo Panebianco,
Sergio Romano,
Cesare Romiti,
Giorgio Rumi and
Marco Tronchetti Provera
Marco Tronchetti Provera (; born 1948) is an Italian businessman. He formerly served as chief executive officer of the Italian tyre manufacturer Pirelli & Co. S.p.A. from 1992 to 2022, where he continues to serve as executive vice chairman.
...
. The official organ of the foundation was the monthly "Liberal".
In 1998, Galli della Loggia left «Liberal» and the foundation, at the behest of its president Adornato, gradually approached the centre-right coalition, up to the adhesion of the same Adornato to
Forza Italia. The monthly "Liberal" aimed to adapt
American Conservatism
Conservatism in the United States is one of two major political ideologies in the United States, with the other being liberalism. Traditional American conservatism is characterized by a belief in individualism, traditionalism, capitalism, ...
in
Italian political system,with a careful look especially at the
neoconservatism
Neoconservatism (colloquially neocon) is a political movement which began in the United States during the 1960s among liberal hawks who became disenchanted with the increasingly pacifist Democratic Party along with the growing New Left and ...
,
theoconservatism, and processing the so-called "theoliberalism". Adornato used the foundation as a means of establishing the "House of Moderates", the single party of the Italian centre-right, with the merge of Forza Italia,
National Alliance and
Union of Christian and Centre Democrats
The Union of the Centre (, UdC), whose complete name is Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (''Unione dei Democratici Cristiani e Democratici di Centro'', UDC), is a Christian-democratic political party in Italy.
Lorenzo Cesa is the part ...
. However, when Berlusconi announcedin 2007
The People of Freedom, Adornato refused to join it, stating that this was not the unitary project he was working on but was rather a restyling of Forza Italia.
Adornato: «A Berlusconi questa volta dico no»
/ref>
Adornato and its Liberal Foundation thus joined the Union of the Centre, representing its conservative and liberal wing.
References
External links
Official websiteLiberal Foundation
{{Union of the Centre factions
Political party factions in Italy
Think tanks based in Italy