Organization of Marxist–Leninist Communists of Italy The group emerged from the
Organization of Marxist–Leninist Communists of Italy (), which was formed in 1970 after a split in the
Communist Party of Italy (Marxist–Leninist) (PCd'I (m-l)) following the expulsion of the PCd'I (m-l) party hierarchy second-in-command Osvaldo Pesce. Osvaldo Pesce was the general secretary of the group.
Shifts in China The Pesce group praised the new Chinese leadership following the
death of Mao Zedong and the purge of the
Gang of Four, earning Pesce an invitation to be received by
Ji Dengkui in Beijing on behalf the
Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party in February 1977.
Unity congress At a congress held in
Rome between 6 and 8 May 1977, the Organization of Marxist–Leninist Communists of Italy merged with smaller groups (according to
Peking Review, they were 'Struggle of Long Duration, Consciousness of the Workers and Proletarian Ideology') into the Unified Communist Party of Italy (PCUd'I). During the founding congress, Pesce attacked the
Soviet Union and the
Italian Communist Party, referring to Soviet leader
Leonid Brezhnev as the 'new
Hitler' and called
Enrico Berlinguer and
Luciano Lama 'the greatest reactionaries in Italy'. Other
Central Committee members included Burgani, Losurdo and Nappini.
Later developments PCUd'I held its third party congress in
Florence in July 1978, which reaffirmed the adherence of the party to Marxism-Leninism Mao Zedong Thought. PCUd'I joined the
Communist Coordination. ==References==