Moro, Aldo [key], 1916–78, Italian political leader. A lawyer, he entered national politics in 1946, when he was elected to the constituent assembly as a member of the Christian Democratic party. As minister of justice (1955–57), he worked to reform the prison system, strengthening regulations forbidding corporal punishment and improving food, hygiene, and sanitary conditions. He was political secretary of the Christian Democratic party from 1959 to 1963. In Dec., 1963, he became prime minister, a post he held until 1968. He later served as minister of foreign affairs. During the 1970s, he was the leader of the effort to achieve a rapprochement with the Communist party. Moro was kidnapped and assassinated by the terrorist Red Brigades.
See R. Drake, The Aldo Moro Murder Case (1996).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Italian History: Biographies
