L’Unione Donne Italiane nel processo di democratizzazione e di liberazione femminile sul finire del regime franchista

Abstract

The Unione Donne Italiane in the Process of Democratization and Female Liberation at the End of the Franco Regime

The main objective of this article is the analysis of the role of Unione Donne Italiane (UDI) and its participation as an agent of anti-Francoism in the last years of the Franco dictatorship and as a witness of a decisive moment in Spanish feminism. The study will be carried out, first of all, based on the documents of the Central Archive of the UDI and the magazine “Noi Donne”. The text focuses on UDI campaigns in support of Spanish women around November 1971, after the Burgos trials, and September 1975, after the last executions of the Franco regime. In a second moment, from December 6 to 8, 1975, in Madrid, in “The Women’s Liberation Days”, the role played by the UDI as an attentive observer and guest actor will be analyzed, coinciding with the proclamation of the International Year of Women for the UN. The role of the UDI, its anti-fascist origin and its “problematic” encounter with feminism explains, in part, also the harmony with the Women’s Democratic Movement in December 1975. Finally, what is claimed is to emphasize the role of Italian Women in strengthening the process of transition to democracy.

Received: 17-05-2019

Admitted: 03-06-2019