Editing Enrico Berlinguer (section)

=== Break with the Soviet Union and the Democratic Alternative ===
In 1980, the PCI publicly condemned the [[Soviet invasion of Afghanistan]], and Moscow then immediately sent [[Georges Marchais]] to Rome to try to bring Berlinguer into line; he was received with perceptible coldness.<ref name="Expoitalyonline 2015"/> The break with the Soviets and other Communist parties became clear when the PCI did not participate in the 1980 International Conference of Communist Parties held in [[Paris]]. Instead, Berlinguer made an official visit to [[China]].<ref name="Expoitalyonline 2015"/> In November 1980, Berlinguer declared in Salerno that the idea of a possible Historic Compromise had been put aside, and it would be replaced with the idea of the Democratic Alternative to both the [[real socialism]] of the East and the then [[social democracy]] of the West.<ref name="Expoitalyonline 2015"/><ref>{{cite conference|last=Ciofi|first=Paolo|title=Un nuovo socialismo. La terza via oltre il modello sovietico e la socialdemocrazia. Enrico Berlinguer|conference=Convegno di Futura Umanità per i 100 anni dalla fondazione del PCI|language=it|date=2021|quote=Comunista italiano e perciò rivoluzionario democratico, Berlinguer fu un grande innovatore. La questione che egli tuttora ci propone, non cancellando il significato e il valore della rottura storica rappresentata dalla rivoluzione russa dell'Ottobre 1917 e dai successivi percorsi aperti nel mondo, è quella di un'altra prospettiva, di un altro modello di società, di un altro socialismo rispetto a quelli fino ad allora conosciuti, il modello sovietico e il modello socialdemocratico.|trans-quote=An Italian communist and therefore a democratic revolutionary, Berlinguer was a great innovator. The question that he still proposes to us, without erasing the meaning and value of the historical rupture represented by the Russian Revolution of October 1917 and the subsequent paths opened up in the world, is that of another perspective, of another model of society, of another socialism than those known until then, the Soviet model and the social-democratic model.}}</ref>

In 1981, Berlinguer said that, in his personal opinion, the progressive force of the October Revolution had been exhausted.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Brogi|first=Alessandro|date=2011|title=Review of Berlinguer e la fine del comunismo|journal=Journal of Cold War Studies|volume=13|issue=4|pages=274–278|doi=10.1162/JCWS_r_00158|issn=1520-3972|jstor=26924076|s2cid=57563642}}</ref> The PCI criticised the [[martial law in Poland]] and soon the PCI's split with the CPSU became definitive and official, followed by a long polemic between ''Pravda'' and ''[[l'Unità]]'' (the official newspaper of PCI), not made any milder after an October meeting with [[Cuba]]n leader [[Fidel Castro]] in [[Havana]];<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://archivio.panorama.it/archivio/Un-giorno-io-Berlinguer-e-Fidel|title=Un giorno io Berlinguer e Castro|magazine=Panorama|language=it|date=22 November 2014|access-date=17 July 2023}}{{dead link|date=September 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Lecis|first=Vindice|date=26 November 2016|url=http://www.fuoripagina.it/2016/11/26/parla-antonio-rubbi-quando-con-berlinguer-incontrammo-fidel-castro-quellattrazione-straordinaria-e-gli-scontri-tra-i-due-leader/|title=Parla Antonio Rubbi: quando con Berlinguer incontrammo Fidel Castro. Quell'attrazione straordinaria (e le divergenze) tra i due leader|website=Fuoripagina|language=it|access-date=17 July 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Minuti|first=Gioia|date=29 May 2018|url=https://it.granma.cu/mundo/2018-05-29/fidel-invito-enrico-berlinguer-a-cuba-nellottobre-del-1981|title=Fidel invitò Enrico Berlinguer a Cuba nell'ottobre del 1981|work=Granma|language=it|access-date=17 July 2023}}</ref> the PCI joked that they succeeded where the [[CIA]] failed when Berlinguer closed the hand of Castro's security chief in the door of a [[GAZ Chaika]] who let out a single stoic moan (''[[l'Unità]]''{{'}}s Havana correspondent  recalled that "a sinister noise of broken bones" was heard) before being hospitalised but the episode did not spoil Berlinguer's visit.<ref>{{cite news|last=Feltri|first=Mattia|date=5 December 2016|url=https://www.lastampa.it/esteri/2016/12/05/news/quando-berlinguer-disse-un-abisso-coi-paesi-dell-est-1.34778111/|title=Quando Berlinguer disse: 'Un abisso coi Paesi dell'Est'|work=La Stampa|language=it|access-date=17 July 2023}}</ref> Nonetheless, his last years were marked by attempts for unity among the national and international political left.<ref name="Expoitalyonline 2015"/> He also continued to underline the necessary link between democracy and socialism, which was followed by a strong commitment on the issues of [[nuclear disarmament]] and [[détente]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|last=|first=|date=2011|url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/partito-comunista-italiano_%28Dizionario-di-Storia%29/|title=Partito comunista italiano|encyclopedia=Dizionario di Storia|language=it|volume=|location=Rome|publisher=Institute of the Italian Encyclopedia|access-date=16 July 2023}}</ref>