ABSTRACT

During the Cold War, Italy witnessed an impressive series of acts of violence and subversion, which reached its peak in the 1970s – the so-called anni di piombo (‘years of lead’)1 that saw approximately 500 deaths, over 1,100 injuries, and about 15,000 violent acts. Bombing attacks on innocent civilians were carried out by extreme right-wing groups in connivance with sectors of the state, starting in December 1969 in Milan, and culminating with the Bologna station massacre of 1980 (85 dead and more than 200 injured).2 Attempted or threatened ‘coups d’état’ were carried out by members of the armed forces in the 1970s, supposedly aimed at establishing an authoritarian regime, as in Greece (then a military dictatorship). From the late 1960s to the 1980s, ideologically inspired groups from both the extreme right and the extreme left carried out an ‘armed struggle’ against the state. This resulted in the wounding, kidnapping, and execution of various representatives of the state (politicians, judges, police officers, journalists, etc.). Perhaps the most well-known episode was the kidnapping and assassination of political leader Aldo Moro by the Red Brigades, in 1978. Although the last significant episodes of organized political violence took place over 20 years ago, terrorism has left an enduring legacy in the country.