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Bettino Craxi's Socialist Party wins election in Italy

General elections were held in Italy on 5 and 6 April 1992. They were the first without the traditionally second most important political force in Italian politics, the Italian Communist Party (PCI),...

General elections were held in Italy on 5 and 6 April 1992. They were the first without the traditionally second most important political force in Italian politics, the Italian Communist Party (PCI), which had been disbanded in 1991. Most of its members split between the more democratic socialist-oriented Democratic Party of the Left (PDS), while a minority who did not want to renounce the communist tradition became the Communist Refoundation Party (PRC); between them, they gained around 4% less than what the already declining PCI had obtained in the 1987 Italian general election, despite PRC absorbing the disbanded Proletarian Democracy (DP).

The other major feature was the sudden rise of the Northern League (LN), a federalist party that increased its vote from 0.5% of the preceding...

Historical Significance

General elections were held in Italy on 5 and 6 April 1992.

Events Before

  1. Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster

    The Space Shuttle Challenger breaks apart 73 seconds after launch, killing all seven crew members in one of the most devastating disasters in space exploration history.

  2. Bill Veeck dies

    Bill Veeck baseball executive, known for american baseball executive, died on 1986-01-02. William Louis Veeck Jr.

  3. Aruba gains independence from the Netherlands Antilles

    The Netherlands Antilles was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

  4. Inaugural class of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees: Chuck Berry; James Brown; Ray Charles; Sam Cooke; Fats Domino

    Inaugural class of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees: Chuck Berry; James Brown; Ray Charles; Sam Cooke; Fats Domino; The Everly Brothers; Buddy Holly; Jerry Lee Lewis; Elvis Presley; Little Richard; Robert Johnson; Jimmie Rodgers; Jimmy Yancey; Alan Freed; John Hammond; and Sam Phillips

  5. Space Shuttle Challenger explodes 73 seconds after liftoff from Cape Canaveral, killing all seven crew members, includin

    Space Shuttle Challenger explodes 73 seconds after liftoff from Cape Canaveral, killing all seven crew members, including Christa McAuliffe, who was to be the first teacher in space

Events After

  1. Czech-born tennis star Hana Mandlíková becomes an Australian Citizen

    Czech-born tennis star Hana Mandlíková becomes an Australian Citizen

  2. English Earl of St Andrews George Windsor marries Canadian academic Sylvana Tomaselli

    English Earl of St Andrews George Windsor marries Canadian academic Sylvana Tomaselli

  3. Panamanian General Manuel Noriega is indicted by a US federal grand jury for drug trafficking and racketeering

    Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno was a Panamanian military officer and politician who was the de facto ruler of Panama from 1983 to 1989.

  4. The Soviet Union begins withdrawing its 115,000 troops from Afghanistan

    The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, later known as the Republic of Afghanistan, was the Afghan state from 1978 to 1992.

  5. Britain's Parliament passes Section 28 as law prohibiting the promotion of homosexuality. Repealed in 2001/2004.

    Section 28 refers to a part of the Local Government Act 1988, which stated that local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material...

More from the 1980s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on June 15, 1987?
General elections were held in Italy on 5 and 6 April 1992. They were the first without the traditionally second most important political force in Italian politics, the Italian Communist Party (PCI), which had been disbanded in 1991. Most of its members split between the more democratic socialist-oriented Democratic Party of the Left (PDS), while a minority who did not want to renounce the communist tradition became the Communist Refoundation Party (PRC); between them, they gained around 4% less than what the already declining PCI had obtained in the 1987 Italian general election, despite PRC absorbing the disbanded Proletarian Democracy (DP).
Why is Bettino Craxi's Socialist Party wins election in Italy significant?
General elections were held in Italy on 5 and 6 April 1992.

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