Aldo Moro

Lore & Background

Aldo Romeo Luigi Moro was born on 23 September 1916 in Maglie, near Lecce, into a family from Ugento in Apulia. He studied law at the University of Bari, graduating in 1939, and later became a professor of philosophy of law and colonial policy (1941) and of criminal law (1942) at the University of Rome. In 1935 he joined the Italian Catholic Federation of University Students (FUCI), becoming its president in 1939 with the approval of Giovanni Battista Montini, the future Pope Paul VI. During World War II he was forced to fight, and in 1943 he helped found the periodical La Rassegna. In 1945 he married Eleonora Chiavarelli, with whom he had four children.

Reader's Guide

Moro was one of Italy's longest-serving post-war prime ministers, leading the country for more than six years. He implemented a series of social and economic reforms that modernized the country, including the 1967 Bridge Law and an extension of social security in 1965. His accommodation with Italian Communist Party leader Enrico Berlinguer, known as the Historic Compromise, is a defining feature of his legacy. As Minister of Foreign Affairs from May 1969 to July 1972 and again from July 1973 to November 1974, he implemented a pro-Arab policy. His kidnapping on 16 March 1978 by the far-left Red Brigades and his killing after 55 days of captivity shocked Italy and the world, marking a pivotal moment in the nation's history.

Did You Know?

• Moro served as Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs from December 1964 to June 1968 (while also Prime Minister) and again from July 1973 to November 1974.
• He was kidnapped by the far-left terrorist group Red Brigades on 16 March 1978 and killed after 55 days of captivity.
• Moro was a professor of philosophy of law and colonial policy (1941) and of criminal law (1942) at the University of Rome.
• He was elected secretary of the Christian Democracy party in March 1959.