Why Italy's radical youth once declared they wanted to be orphans
In short: During the 1960s and 1970s, a wave of student radicalization swept Italy, challenging the church, the Communist Party, and the traditional family structure. This movement, which began with creative democratization, eventually splintered into ideological factions, some embracing violence, while others pioneered new forms of social protest and feminist advocacy.
The Italian student movement of the late 1960s and 1970s represented a profound cultural rupture. Students in cities like Pisa, Turin, and Trento occupied universities and challenged the authority of teachers and the state. Their rejection of traditional power structures was encapsulated by the provocative slogan, I want to be an orphan. This generation sought to dismantle the ubiquitous consumer society and the influence of the Catholic Church, which was itself undergoing a period of internal tension following the Second Vatican Council (1962–65).
By 1977, the movement had evolved into a collection of groups known as autonomia. While some branches, such as the Metropolitan Indians, remained focused on creative expression, others like Autonomia Operaia adopted a violent stance, targeting trade union leaders and the traditional left. The state responded with mass arrests in 1979, forcing many leaders to flee. Despite this, the movement persisted into the 1980s, shifting its focus toward environmentalism and the creation of social centers in squatted buildings to address housing shortages.
Simultaneously, the feminist movement emerged in the mid-1970s, challenging male dominance across the political spectrum and the rigid moral framework of the church. Their agitation was instrumental in securing legal victories regarding divorce and abortion. While the student movement often struggled with internal ideological conflicts and the shadow of violence, its legacy remains tied to the broader liberalization of Italian society. This period of intense social change contrasted sharply with the political landscape of the era, which also saw the rise of the neo-fascist Italian Social Movement (MSI), a party formed in 1946 by veterans of the Italian Social Republic that sought to preserve the legacy of fascism while navigating the constraints of the postwar democratic constitution.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Italy - Student Protest, Social Movements, 1960s-80s | Britannica
- Also: Italian Social Movement
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