The Land of Milk and Honey - The Burning Bush of the People's Republic of Italy

[Tal Shiar]

THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY
THE BURNING BUSH OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF ITALY
the STORY ABOUT AN ALTERNATE COLD WAR
TIMELINE CREATED BY ONE SINGLE MISTAKE IN 1941 AT THE OKH HEADQUARTERS

The Old World three years after the end of the Second World War.

GERMAN OFFENSIVE SLOWED DOWN BEFORE MOSCOW
RASPUTITSA DEFEATED WEHRMACHT
STALIN ASKS RUSSIANS TO DEFEND ITS CITY
NEW YORK, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1941

THE SOVIET ARMY VICTORIOUS, GERMAN FORCES BROKEN
WEHRMACHT IS RETREATING ON THE CENTER
NEW YORK, THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 1941​

THE PARTISANS LIBERATED ROME​

LAST BASTION OF ITALIAN FASCISM FELL TO THE ALLIES
NEW YORK, TUESDAY, JANUARY 2, 1945​

 

[RiverDelta]

Will Bordiga have a place in this TL?

 

[Tal Shiar]

TOGLIATTI, LEADER OF THE ITALIAN COMMUNISTS SHOT IN MILAN!

​

MILAN - Palmiro Togliatti, longtime leader of the Italian Communists since 1926 was shot in the stomach and twice in the left lung following a speech in Milan to the Italian Communist activists. After giving speech he was returning to the train that was meant to take him to the Turin, capital city of the Italian People's Republic when 24 years old student Antonio Pallante shouted his name and fired three shots in his direction. Following shooting Pallante tried to flee from the scene of assault but was stopped by a crowd that tried to lynch him for his actions and police who came to excort him safely to the local arrest. Palmiro Togliatti was immediately sent to the nearby hospital where surgeons are fighting for his life with every minute since yesterday. All we know about his health are words of one of the doctors who said that patient's state is critical. This statement resulted in backclash against fascists and right-wing organizations accussed of supporting assasin due to Pallante's fascism. First Deputy Chairman, Pietro Nenni, leader of the Italian socialist before Liberation called all sides to be calm and wait for Togliatti's recovery while ordering police to enforce law and order on the Italian streets due to socialist uproar against alleged fascist conspirators.

 

[Tal Shiar]

Will Bordiga have a place in this TL?

Surely. At least as leader/members of some faction or the political party.

 

[Nelson Mikeson]

Very interesting TL and as much as like the newspaper article style, would you also include simply narrated updates, including some background info?

 

[Tal Shiar]

Very interesting TL and as much as like the newspaper article style, would you also include simply narrated updates, including some background info?

Yes, of course. Major events of ATL World War II will be mentioned in updates or will have their own updates.

I have one question for people who know Italian language better than I - is Partito Operaio Unificato Italiano good translation for Italian United Workers' Party? I took that from Wikipedia Italian article about Polish United Workers' Party but I don't know for sure if this is correct - https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partito_Operaio_Unificato_Polacco

 

[andry2806]

Yes, of course. Major events of ATL World War II will be mentioned in updates or will have their own updates.

I have one question for people who know Italian language better than I - is Partito Operaio Unificato Italiano good translation for Italian United Workers' Party? I took that from Wikipedia Italian article about Polish United Workers' Party but I don't know for sure if this is correct - https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partito_Operaio_Unificato_Polacco

It's a pretty good translation. Only, why it won't simply be the old Partito Comunista Italiano?

 

[Tal Shiar]

It's a pretty good translation. Only, why it won't simply be the old Partito Comunista Italiano?

Alliance between old communists, socialists, syndicalists and social democrats. In Poland two left-wing parties were merged into one (that's why it was called "United"). In the Northern Italy there were elections and left-wing parties were forced to cooperate to seize power. They were more popular than rightists (Italian Resistance liberated northern part of the country) and thus they won. Something like Tito in Yugoslavia but more fair.

Italian socialism is older than the Soviet Union. Why they would listen to the uneducated Georgian ex-monk in communist robes? They have their own methods of rule and ideology. The Italy has border on the Alps and Soviet Generals are not in Hannibal-type. Red Army would lose thousands trying to storm Northern Italy without internal support.

 

[Nelson Mikeson]

Would we read about the Papacy's attitude toward the Communist regime?

 

[Tal Shiar]

Would we read about the Papacy's attitude toward the Communist regime?

Papacy's attitude toward government of the Northern Italy would be closely linked to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers in the Northern Italy and their politics. Some of the policitians will be more hardline atheists (or rather anti-theists) while others would want to reconcile with the Papacy and Roman Catholics. We could always see cult of the human mind and achievements - supported by the breakthroughs made in the communist states. Something like - why we should pray to the God when we see that humans can challenge his powers? Of course Popes will have influence over politics too. For example Southern Italians will be more devout than OTL due to "that atheist red state just above them" while others would rather want to "rechristianize" northern part of the country. We will see curious development of the modern view on religion.

I am fully open on all proposals and ideas you have about communist Europe we have in ATL. If you have one, you can post it in this thread or send PM.

 

[Historyman 14]

Not sure about North Italy having Rome. It should be in the hands of South Italy, or a Free City.

South Italy would be fill with aid, and help from ATL NATO.

What of Yugoslavia?

 

[RiverDelta]

Alliance between old communists, socialists, syndicalists and social democrats. In Poland two left-wing parties were merged into one (that's why it was called "United"). In the Northern Italy there were elections and left-wing parties were forced to cooperate to seize power. They were more popular than rightists (Italian Resistance liberated northern part of the country) and thus they won. Something like Tito in Yugoslavia but more fair.

Italian socialism is older than the Soviet Union. Why they would listen to the uneducated Georgian ex-monk in communist robes? They have their own methods of rule and ideology. The Italy has border on the Alps and Soviet Generals are not in Hannibal-type. Red Army would lose thousands trying to storm Northern Italy without internal support.

I genuinely can't see Bordiga supporting such a united front, given his willingness to shit on other leftist tendencies and his beliefs that only a strong, ideologically unified class party could succeed. Maybe have him leading a splinter group, the PCd'I or something?

Also, if you're going to include Bordiga, I genuinely recommend at least reading some of his works to get a sense of how he differs from 'proper' Communism. The Fundamentals of Revolutionary Communism is a good start.

 

[Tal Shiar]

I genuinely can't see Bordiga supporting such a united front, given his willingness to shit on other leftist tendencies and his beliefs that only a strong, ideologically unified class party could succeed. Maybe have him leading a splinter group, the PCd'I or something?

Also, if you're going to include Bordiga, I genuinely recommend at least reading some of his works to get a sense of how he differs from 'proper' Communism. The Fundamentals of Revolutionary Communism is a good start.

Who said that Bordiga would support united front? Not everyone on the left would support United Front just like not every right-wing politician supported Hitler or Mussolini during or before WW2.

I also changed capital city from Rome to the Turin. I had mistakenly posted wrong city. Rome was the capital city of the Kingdom of Italy which turned to the Allied side so I can not see capital city of the Allied country to be seized by the communist forces.

 

[Livius wannabe]

South Italy would be fill with aid, and help from ATL NATO.

Nice scenario, if it's anything like north and south Korea, at least it would industrialise.

P.S: What's with the participles?

 

[Historyman 14]

Nice scenario, if it's anything like north and south Korea, at least it would industrialise.

P.S: What's with the participles?

South Italy, Greece, and Turkey would become key ATL NATO allies in order to to keep Communist influence in the Med to a minimum. The industrialization of South Italy would also be important so we would see ALT Marshall Plan focus on them, as well as Free Germany a lot more.

 

[Tal Shiar]

History of the People's Republic of Italy since World War II to the present days by Giorgio Napolitano

"Why we should listen words of the uneducated Georgian ex-monk dressed in communist robes and murdering millions of Russians?"

Book created during 2006-2008 period. Revised by the People's Ministry of Internal Affairs on March 7, 2007 and accepted by the Censore Pietro Albero on September 8, 2007. Contains official government authorization.

CHAPTER II - 1944-1947​

World War II and events that followed brought enormous changes upon all humanity. Use of nuclear weapons by the country that claimed to be democratic and humanitarian convinced millions of workers to abandon hope stored in a bourgeious democracies, turning them to the broader socialist movement representing thousands of voices - those following line made by Karl Marx and those who seek their own way to the establishment of the socialism. During early 1940s thousands of Italians joined The Resistance formed by various ideologies in the joint aim - defeating Fascism and its dictators. We can all thank to the Comrades like Carla Capponi who bravely entered Rome leading battalion of partisan infantry and later participated in the March of Victory in the city as the representative of the Italian Communist Party or Comrade Raffaele Cantoni who led an enterprise to save Jews from the Holocaust driven by the Fascist forces of Germany and her traitorous Italian allies. Actions of the United Resistance led to the liberation of the major northern cities and liberation of the millions of Italians from the class oppression. Contrary to the Southern part of the peninsula, partisans announced birth of the Republic ruled by the people through democracy, equality and emancipation.

Palmiro Togliatti, the first leader of the People's Republic of Italy was chosen as the Provisional Chairman of Ministers by the United Resistance with Pietro Nenni as his the First Deputy on December 4, 1944. His the first action, often criticized by the more anti-fascist elements within party was granting an amnesty for all Private soldiers who served during Benito Mussolini's Italian Social Republic or the Kingdom of Italy. During his three years of tenure Togliatti pursued policy of unity through diversity leading to the rise of the Italian United Workers' Party as an alliance between Marxist-Leninist communists, some of the non-Leninist communists, centrist and radical socialists with few elements from the social democracy and agrarian movements. The biggest communist party in the Western Europe was in fact effect of agreement between various politicians who aimed at achieving power and establishment of the socialist republic in the Po Valley. Some of them were representatives of the branches of socialism which had been older than the Soviet Union itself and argued for the more independent policy. This actions created tensions between leader of the Soviet Bolsheviks Joseph Stalin and various groups united under Togliatti/Nenni power leading to several strains in relations between two countries.

In the economic terms of the three-years period of Togliatti's reign over Northern part of Italy, the first Chairman of the Council of Ministers concentrated country's efforts on the development of modern agriculture and light branch of industry, rejecting Stalinist model of economics as not ready to be implemented in his country. Through political machinations and bribery he convinced Soviet officials that Italy is not ready to be collectivized and industrialized as the Soviet Union yet due to destruction that occurred during World War II from the Fascist hands. Money descending from the Soviet budget as part of the Molotov Plan were diverted to help Agricultural Cooperatives (voluntary created by the independent farmers to share machines, fertilizers and manpower) in means of producing modern tractors (in the FIAT factories), fertilizers and grain to be seed during spring of 1945 (that last was very helpful as many agricultural output including grain to be seed next year was destroyed by retreating Germans of the Fascist Italians). That move ensured gradual change toward collectivized agriculture as many poor farmers decided to join Cooperatives with hopes of acquiring food and an access to the more efficent of cultivating land. More efficent collective-controlled farms were responsible for strenghtening food situation in the country and economical situation of the thousands of men, women and children. Rise in the light industry was initially slower but last year of Togliatti's reign marked rapid rise in the clothing, canned food, consumer electronic and washing machines, especially after The Greek Civil War when the United States, France and Great Britain declared war on the Greek communists switching their economies into more hawkish and negleting light industry thus creating a hole which was partially filled by the industries of the Northern Italy. Contrary to the rest of the communist world Togliatti never condemned Western powers for their involvement in Greece or China - in fact he could not due to internal censorhip issued by the collective control of the Italian United Workers' Party on its politicians (many of them believed that Western states were on their path to communism through capitalist-socialist phase and should not be interrupted in ridiculing bourgeious democracy).

Independent policies of Palmiro Togliatti were often showed as the sign of the superiority Italian socialism over the Soviet one. Some of these bold theses should be named as a istake due to the archives released recently by the People's government showing that Palmiro Togliatti, Father of the People's Republic was mere puppet of the Pietro Nenni and the Partisan faction inside Italian United Workers' Party which for several dozens of years represented pragmatics willing to collaborate with the Western Powers in order to strenghten Northern Italian state and their influence over Party. Criticism of the Palmiro Togliatti on the First Party Congress (5th May of 1945) by his ministers for the "anti-Marxist deviation" can only support that thesis.

[*]Book written from the perspective of reformist socialist, censored by the government and authorized as official view on history.

 

[Historyman 14]

North Italy is still around in the 21st Century? Hmm....

 

[Tal Shiar]

North Italy will see very interesting developments during late 20th century.

And very interesting view on such words as "the dictatorship of proletariat" or planned economy. There are thousands voices in the Italian communist movement and each of them can be different.

 

[Livius wannabe]

Independent policies of Palmiro Togliatti were often showed as the sign of the superiority Italian socialism over the Soviet one.

This is the hardest bit to believe. Palmiro Togliatti was a lackey of Stalin through and through. Under what circumstances would he turn?
And which could be the OTL model? Tito, Nagy or Ceausescu?

 

[andry2806]

Alliance between old communists, socialists, syndicalists and social democrats

Nice, only some questions: the Italian Social Democratic Party IOTL was so moderate it went in coalition with the Christian Democracy opposing not only the PCI but even the PSI. Why would they join a communist government?

And which is the future of South Italy? Toto Riina ala Pablo Escobar?