Restivo, Franco

Born May 25, 1911 in Palermo, son of a member of the Chamber of Deputies of the Kingdom of Italy . He received a law degree at the University of Palermo, in 1943 he began to teach constitutional law at the law faculty, and later taught public law at the economic faculty of the same university. He joined the Christian Democratic Party, in 1946 he was elected to the Constituent Assembly of Italy , but in 1947 passed the mandate. From 1947 to 1955 he was a deputy of the Sicilian Regional Assembly, from 1947 to 1949 he was an assessor of finance in the administration of Alessi . From 1949 to 1955 he served as president of the Sicily region. He joined the CDU National Council, in 1958 he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies of the III convocation and was re-elected to the Chamber of IV, V and VI convocations, remaining a deputy until his death in 1976 ^[1] .

During the presidency of Restivo in Sicily, important laws were passed: on industrial development, on the exploration and development of hydrocarbon energy resources, and on agricultural reform. In pursuance of the last of these normative acts, the process of the distribution of latifundia among the small-land peasants has begun, which has completely altered island agriculture. In addition, geological studies have also led to success - an oil field was discovered in Ragusa . Nevertheless, this historical period was characterized by high social tension, which resulted in the intensification of the activities of trade unions - mainly in agriculture and extractive industries ^[2] .

He was the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry in the third government of Aldo Moro (1966-1968), and retained the post of Minister of the Interior from June 24, 1968 to February 17, 1972 in five consecutive Christian Democratic governments: in the second government of Leone, then in the three governments of Rumor and in the first government of Colombo. From February 17 to June 26, 1972 he was Minister of Defense in the first government of Andreotti ^[3] .

The leadership of Restivo by the Ministry of the Interior coincided with a period of social unrest, as well as a terrorist attack on Piazza Fontana in Milan in 1969. The riots in Reggio Calabria , accompanied by the construction of barricades and shootings, lasted about a year. In 1970, Junio ​​Valerio Borghese organized a coup attempt, known in Italy as Golpe Borghese . Remaining the permanent head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Restivo became the main target of accusations from the opposition, who called him the "Minister of Repression." In response, he presented evidence to the Chamber of Deputies that, after taking office, the number of workers arrested and detained for participating in strikes and other forms of protest decreased compared to the previous period ^[4] .

• Franco RESTIVO (Italian) . V Legislatura 1968-1972 . Senato della Repubblica . Date of treatment June 9, 2016.
• Francesco Restivo (Italian) . Gruppi parlamentari . Camera dei Deputati (Portale storico). Date of treatment June 9, 2016.