Shifting To The Christian Democrats
Most mafiosi soon changed sides, joining the Christian Democrat party (Democrazia Cristiana – DC) when it became clear that an independent Sicily was not feasible and the OSS quietly dropped support for the separatist movement in 1945 and turned to the DC. Bernardo Mattarella, one of the party’s leaders, approached Vizzini to abandon the separatists and join the Christian Democrats. He welcomed Vizzini's joining the DC in an article in the Catholic newspaper Il Popolo in 1945.
Vizzini offered to meet with Aldisio – who had been appointed High Commissioner in August 1944 – to solve the island’s grain problem, implying he had the power to do so. There is no evidence that Aldisio and Vizzini ever met to discuss the issue. Aldiso did, however, invite Calogero Volpe, a fellow Christian Democrat and Mafia member befriended by Vizzini, to secret gatherings with Christian Democrats. This was seen as a first step in the government’s alliance with the Mafia. Mafia chieftains perceived Aldisio’s appointment as a first sign of the government’s determination to subdue the separatist movement. They were now forced to reconsider their loyalty to it.
Vizzini’s support for the DC was not a secret. During the crucial 1948 elections that would decide on Italy’s post-war future, Vizzini and Genco Russo sat at the same table with leading DC politicians, attending an electoral lunch. In the course of the start of the Cold War, the 1948 elections were a triumph for the Christian Democrats, who would govern Italy with up and downs for the next 45 years in different coalitions. On of its main aims was to keep the Italian Communist Party – the biggest communist party in a NATO member state – away from power.
Read more about this topic: Calogero Vizzini
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