Altiero Spinelli
| Altiero Spinelli link (Politician) | |
|---|---|
| File:Altiero Spinelli.jpg | |
| Born | 1907-08-31 Rome, Kingdom of Italy |
| Died | 1986-05-23 Rome, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Alma mater | Sapienza University of Rome |
| Children | Barbara Spinelli |
| Spouse | Ursula Hirschmann |
| Party | Communist Party of Italy, Action Party, Republican Democratic Concentration, Independent Left |
Italian politician, referred to as one of the founding fathers of the European Union. | |
Altiero Spinelli was an Italian politician, political theorist and European federalist, referred to as one of the founding fathers of the European Union.
A communist and militant anti-fascist in his youth, he spent 10 years imprisoned by the Fascist regime. Having grown disillusioned with Stalinism, he broke with the Italian Communist Party in 1937. Interned on the prison island Ventotene during World War II he, along with fellow democratic socialists, drafted the Manifesto for a free and united Europe (most commonly known as the Ventotene Manifesto) in 1941, considered a precursor of the European integration process.
He had a leading role in the foundation of the European federalist movement in 1946, and had strong influence on the first few decades of post-World War II European integration. Later, he helped to re-launch the integration process in the 1980s. By the time of his death, he had been a member of the European Commission for six years, a member of the European Parliament for ten years right up until his death. The main building of the European Parliament in Brussels is named after him.
The Spinelli Group of European federalists is named after him.
