The limits of dissent: Fabrizio Onofri, Eugenio Reale and the quest for a post-Stalinist left
Twentieth Century Communism - Print ISSN 1758-6437 - Online ISSN 2978-1329
Volume 2025 Number 28
The limits of dissent: Fabrizio Onofri, Eugenio Reale and the quest for a post-Stalinist left
Mark Gilbert, Tommaso Milani pages 50‑76
Abstract
1956 was a year of upheaval for the Italian Communist Party (PCI). Its General Secretary Palmiro Togliatti first responded cautiously to Khrushchev’s Secret Speech and then took an unambiguously pro- Soviet stance over the quelling of the Hungarian uprising. Having set limits on how far card-carrying Communists could go in criticising the PCI’s record of apologetics for the cult for Stalin’s personality, Togliatti pursued a cunning strategy that eventually paid off: the PCI experienced only a small decrease in membership and, as a result, weathered such a severe crisis fairly well. Some prominent party members, however, refused to keep their views within the boundaries drawn by Togliatti and went on to break with the PCI. The article zooms in on two of them: Fabrizio Onofri and Eugenio Reale. By comparing their writings, actions and subsequent trajectory, the article argues that the events of 1956 highlighted some fundamental tensions within the line the PCI had followed since 1947. In particular, the problems created by seeking to reconcile a commitment to democratic principles at home with a close alignment with the Soviet Union abroad were laid bare. Moreover, the way the party leadership dealt with Onofri’s and Reale’s rebellion underscored the difficulty the PCI had in accepting and coping with internal dissent.
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To cite this article
Mark Gilbert, Tommaso Milani (2025) The limits of dissent: Fabrizio Onofri, Eugenio Reale and the quest for a post-Stalinist left, Twentieth Century Communism, 2025(28), 50-76