Giorgio Amendola

He secretly joined the Italian Communist Party (PCI) in 1929. After graduating in law, he started to promote opposition to the Mussolini regime. Arrested and brought into exile in France, and successively banished to Santo Stefano Island in the Pontine Islands, Amendola was freed in 1943 by the resistance troops, which he then joined. He became known especially in the 1970s as one of the leaders of the party's right wing, which espoused gradual removal of the ideas of Soviet Communism and Leninism, and supported alliances with the more moderate parties, especially the Italian Socialist Party, a concept later called Eurocommunism. One of his main allies was Giorgio Napolitano, a member of the Chamber of Deputies who became President of Italy (2006–2015) and remained an avowed disciple and follower of Amendola. From 1967 onwards, Amendola started to work as a writer; his most notable books include Comunismo, antifascismo e Resistenza ("Communism, Anti-Fascism and Resistance", 1967), Lettere a Milano ("Letters to Milan", 1973), Intervista sull'antifascismo ("Interview on Anti-Fascism", 1976, with Piero Melograni), Una scelta di vita ("A Choice of Life", 1978), and Un'isola ("An Island", 1980), which is considered to be his best work. His wife Germaine Lecocq, whom he met during his French exile in Paris and who helped him to write his last work, died a few hours after Amendola.

• Name — Giorgio Amendola • Office — Member of the European Parliament • Term Start — 17 July 1979 • Term End — 5 June 1980 • Constituency — Southern Italy • Office2 — Member of the Chamber of Deputies • Term Start2 — 8 May 1948 • Term End2 — 5 June 1980 • Constituency2 — Naples • Office3 — Member of the Constituent Assembly • Term Start3 — 25 June 1946 • Term End3 — 31 January 1948 • Constituency3 — Naples • Born — 21 November 1907 • Birthplace — Rome, Italy • Died — 5 June 1980 • Place of death — Rome, Italy • Occupation — Politician, journalist • Party — PCI • Relatives — Giovanni Amendola (father) Eva Kühn (mother)

• Election — House — Constituency — Party — Votes — Result • 1946 — Constituent Assembly — Naples–Caserta — PCI — 31,556 — Elected • 1948 — Chamber of Deputies — Naples–Caserta — FDP — 99,051 — Elected • 1953 — Chamber of Deputies — Naples–Caserta — PCI — 124,025 — Elected • 1958 — Chamber of Deputies — Naples–Caserta — PCI — 141,958 — Elected • 1963 — Chamber of Deputies — Naples–Caserta — PCI — 124,490 — Elected • 1968 — Chamber of Deputies — Naples–Caserta — PCI — 131,469 — Elected • 1972 — Chamber of Deputies — Naples–Caserta — PCI — 122,518 — Elected • 1976 — Chamber of Deputies — Naples–Caserta — PCI — 154,750 — Elected • 1979 — Chamber of Deputies — Naples–Caserta — PCI — 115,870 — Elected • 1979 — European Parliament — Southern Italy — PCI — 805,449 — Elected