News from the HAEU

The Historical Archives of the European Union has announced the fonds of former Italian Prime Minister Alcide De Gasperi are now available for consultation.

Born in Trentino – then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire – in 1881, De Gasperi created the Trentino Popular Party after the region became part of Italy and was elected a deputy to the Italian parliament in 1921. He became an active opponent of fascism, a stance that saw him stripped of his position in government and imprisoned for four years. After the Second World War he helped found, and led, the Christian Democrats, and served as Prime Minister from 1945 until 1953, helping guide Italy through post-War reconstruction.

He was instrumental in the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community, and was responsible for article 38 in the European Defence Community treaty, paving the way for a political community.

This new collection, comprising of 146 boxes of files including speeches, letters and private papers, provides an unprecedented perspective on Italian history in the first part of the 20th Century and the origins of the European Union.

Currently available on microformat it will be digitalised in the near future, part of the ongoing project at the HAEU. Currently 150 personal archives are available digitally from the HAEU website. The fonds are arranged in a variety of categories including; institution, individuals and corporate bodies and are all now available through a new interface, which is fully searchable via a keywords.

For more information please visit the website of the Historical Archives of the European Union.