La DC, il Copei e l’Unione Mondiale Democratica Cristiana. Una relazione complessa (1968-81)

Especially during the long presidency of Mariano Rumor, the Italian Democrazia Cristiana (DC) played a leading role in the Christian Democratic World Union, whose main purpose was to connect the European and the Latin American parties, in an attempt to expand the Christian Democratic movement in the subcontinent. Through the world organization, the DC tried to increase its power and the influence of Italy in the region. After Chile and the local Christian Democrat party during the 1960s, Italians looked with great attention to Venezuela, where there was a strong social-Christian formation, the Comité de Organización Política Electoral Independiente, who was able to get the power in two occasion (1969, 1979). Taking advantage of the connections between the political parties of the same area, Italy tried, therefore, to secure closer relations with the South American country, to which it was linked by historical and cultural bonds. However, differently from Chile, less reliance could be focused on ideological link and the Italian Christian Democrats had to implement, especially after 1973, a more pragmatic strategy aimed at strengthening, the diplomatic, but, above all, the economic and commercial relations between Italy and Venezuela in a very delicate phase for the peninsula. These occurrences demonstrated how the presence of a world Christian Democrat network had certainly provided a favorable context to the initiatives of Italian governments, but, at the same time, brought out the adaptability of the Christian Democrats, when, with the changing circumstances, were other factors and emergencies (on all the energy needs) to have priority.