In an era in which social and territorial imbalances have worsened and war and rearmament seem to have become the only possible option for many governments, the need for political ideas and actions based on peaceful coexistence emerges with ever greater urgency. . It is essential to eliminate the causes of international disputes and promote an economic model compatible with the environment, capable of removing territorial and social imbalances. On these issues, the “I remember Berlinguer” Committee has defined a program to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the death of Enrico Berlinguer, a political figure of great importance for progressive and left-wing forces.
Tuesday 18 Juneat 9pm, atAuditorium of the Musical High School in Via Garibaldi 4 in Varese, a meeting entitled “Peace comes first“. The speaker of the event will be Alexander Hobelprofessor of contemporary history at the University of Sassari and editor of the book of the same name which collects writings and speeches by Enrico Berlinguer.
Berlinguer, since the 1970s, had perceived the epochal changes that could lead to an unprecedented global crisis. He operated in a context marked by the bipolar division of the world and the Cold War between the USSR and the USA. However, the balance established at Yalta and European colonialism were now called into question by the liberation struggles of peoples and by large mass movements for peace, civil rights and social justice.
In this context, Berlinguer outlined an innovative policy, combining support for liberation struggles with the request to overcome military blockades and total disarmament. «Peaceful coexistence and world government are the key ideas of Berlinguer’s thought which at the time were branded as pure utopias – he underlines Annachiara Cavallonepresident of the Berlinguer Memorial Committee – Today’s reality makes us understand how far-sighted that thought was and how relevant it still is and needs to be rediscovered.”
