The Liberal Foundation (''Fondazione Liberal''), since 2009 called Liberal-Popular Foundation (''Fondazione Liberal-Popolare''), was a foundation led by

Ferdinando Adornato Ferdinando Adornato (born 11 May 1954) is an Italian politician and journalist. Biography On 8 June 1994, he founded and led the group ''Area'', "an area of programmatic comparison ... inspired liberal, Christian and environmentalist ... elemen ...

that represented the conservative, liberal, secular and Catholic wing of the Union of the Centre. The foundation was organized on the territory through the Liberal Clubs (''Circoli Liberal'').

History

It was founded in 1995 by Ferdinando Adornato and Ernesto Galli della Loggia, as a liberal-democratic inspiration foundation that bridged between the left opposition (formed by the

Democratic Party of the Left The Democratic Party of the Left ( it, Partito Democratico della Sinistra, PDS) was a democratic socialist and social-democratic political party in Italy. Founded in February 1991 as the post-communist evolution of the Italian Communist Party, ...

) and that of the Centre (composed by the Italian People's Party), to build a new alternative to the Centre-right coalition of

Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; born 29 September 1936) is an Italian media tycoon and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies ...

. The first steering committee included: Ferdinando Adornato,

Antonio Baldassarre Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...

Augusto Antonio Barbera Augusto Antonio Barbera (born 25 June 1938) is an Italian judge and former constitutional law professor at the University of Bologna. In his political career he was member of the Chamber of Deputies between 1976 and 1994 for the Italian Communist ...

, Rodolfo Brancoli,

Carlo Azeglio Ciampi Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (; 9 December 1920 – 16 September 2016) was an Italian politician and banker who was the prime minister of Italy from 1993 to 1994 and the president of Italy from 1999 to 2006. Biography Education Ciampi was born i ...

Franco Debenedetti Franco may refer to: Name * Franco (name) * Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975 * Franco Luambo (1938–1989), Congolese musician, the "Grand Maître" Prefix * Franco, a prefix used when ...

Diego Della Valle Diego Della Valle (born 30 December 1953) is the chairman of the Italian leather goods company '' Tod's''. Biography Family, youth and studies Diego Della Valle is the elder son of Dorino Della Valle and grandson of Filippo Della Valle. Fili ...

, Ernesto Galli della Loggia,

Alfio Marchini Alfio Marchini (born 1 April 1965) is an Italian entrepreneur and politician. Biography Alfio Marchini is son of Alessandro Marchini, who became rich in the building industry after the Second World War. Sports career Alfio Marchini practiced v ...

, Mino Martinazzoli,

Vittorio Merloni Vittorio Merloni (30 April 1933 – 18 June 2016) was an Italian entrepreneur and industrialist. He was the honorary chairman of Indesit (chaired by his son Andrea Merloni) and Fineldo (chaired by his daughter Antonella), the family holding compa ...

Angelo Panebianco Angelo is an Italian masculine given name and surname meaning "angel", or "messenger". People People with the given name *Angelo Accattino (born 1966), Italian prelate of the Catholic Church *Angelo Acciaioli (bishop) (1298–1357), Italian Ro ...

Sergio Romano Sergio Romano may refer to: * Sergio Romano (writer) Sergio Romano (born 7 July 1929) is an Italian diplomat, writer, journalist, and historian. He is a columnist for the newspaper ''Corriere della Sera''. Romano is also a former Italian ambassad ...

Cesare Romiti Cesare Romiti (24 June 192318 August 2020) was an Italian economist and businessman. He was best known as an executive of both state-owned firms and private companies, including Fiat and Alitalia. He acquired the nickname ''Il Duro'' ("The tough ...

, Giorgio Rumi and

Marco Tronchetti Provera Marco Tronchetti Provera (; born 1948) is an Italian businessman. He was the chief executive officer of Pirelli & C. S.p.A. from 1992 to 2022 and its executive vice chairman since October 20, 2015. He is the chairman of Marco Tronchetti, Provera & ...

. The official organ of the foundation was the monthly "Liberal". In 1998 Galli della Loggia left «Liberal» and the foundation, at the behest of its president Adornato, gradually approached the centre-right coalition, up to the adhesion of the same Adornato to

Forza Italia Forza ItaliaThe name is not usually translated into English: ''forza'' is the second-person singular imperative of ''forzare'', in this case translating to "to compel" or "to press", and so means something like "Forward, Italy", "Come on, Ital ...

. The monthly "Liberal" thus aimed to adapt the

American Conservatism Conservatism in the United States is a political and social philosophy based on a belief in limited government, individualism, traditionalism, republicanism, and limited federal governmental power in relation to U.S. states. Conservative ...

to the Italian political system, with a careful look especially at the

neoconservatism Neoconservatism is a political movement that began in the United States during the 1960s among liberal hawks who became disenchanted with the increasingly pacifist foreign policy of the Democratic Party and with the growing New Left and ...

and the theoconservatism, as well processing the so-called "theoliberalism". Adornato used the foundation as a means of establishing the "House of Moderates", the single party of the Italian centre-right, with the merge of Forza Italia, National Alliance and

Union of Christian and Centre Democrats The Union of the Centre ( it, Unione di Centro, UdC), whose complete name is "Union of Christian and Centre Democrats" (''Unione dei Democratici Cristiani e Democratici di Centro'', UDC), is a Christian-democratic political party in Italy. Lore ...

. However, when Berlusconi announcedin 2007

The People of Freedom The People of Freedom ( it, Il Popolo della Libertà, PdL) was a centre-right political party in Italy. The PdL, launched by Silvio Berlusconi on 18 November 2007, was initially a federation of political parties, notably including Forza Italia a ...

, Adornato refused to join it, stating that this was not the unitary project he was working on but was rather a restyling of Forza Italia.Adornato: «A Berlusconi questa volta dico no»
/ref> Adornato and its Liberal Foundation thus joined the Union of the Centre, representing its conservative and liberal wing.

References

External links

Official websiteLiberal Foundation
{{Union of the Centre factions Political party factions in Italy Think tanks based in Italy