Important successes in the fight against left-wing terrorism were achieved in the following months, especially after the liberation, on January 28, 1982, of the American general JL Dozier, deputy commander of the allied land forces of Southern Europe, kidnapped by the BR in Verona on December 17, 1981. The spread of confessions following this episode led to the crumbling of some of the Red Brigades columns; but we will be able to speak of the defeat of the RB starting from 1983 when the phenomenon of dissociated people will become general, that is, of those who publicly repudiated the armed struggle even without collaborating.

If in 1982 the decline of left-wing terrorism began to be glimpsed, that same year saw the danger of the mafia for the institutions intensify: already at the end of April the deputy P. La Torre regional secretary of the PCI had been killed in Palermo and two years first, Christian Democrat Fr Mattarella, president of the region, both exponents of Sicilian political renewal, had been assassinated. But it was the assassination of General CA Dalla Chiesa, his young wife and the escort agent, on September 3, that made it clear how high he wanted to hit the mafia. From the Church he had recently been appointed prefect of Palermo after having been, as a high officer of the carabinieri, the main architect of the successes against left-wing terrorism. The fear that it could achieve the same results in the fight against the mafia and insufficient political consensus for his new duties cost him his life. Since then, however, new forms of mobilization against the mafia and its perverse entanglements with political power have begun.

Even the Spadolini ministry, like previous and subsequent governments, will face serious financial difficulties essentially linked to the unstoppable expansion of public spending. Precisely on a problem of this type, the government will enter into crisis in August 1982: 7 Spadolini resigned, but, re-designated, on 23 he reformed a government identical in terms of formula and in terms of men. In that same month the participation of the Italy to the multinational force that was to guarantee peace in Lebanon: this was the first significant post-war commitment by the Italian armed forces in a politically and militarily very risky area. The success of the operation must also be ascribed to the policy of equidistance of the Italy towards the Arab-Israeli conflict and the good relations maintained by many parties with the Organization for the Liberation of Palestine. In this context was inserted the visit on Italy (September 15) of the head of the PLO, Y. ῾Arafāt, who was received by Pertini, the Foreign Minister, the secretaries of the DC, the PCI and the PSI, but not by Spadolini, while PSDI, PRI and PLI protested for the welcome given to him. That the problem of relations with the Palestinian resistance was not always an easy and straightforward path was confirmed by the attack on the synagogue in Rome which, a few days after ῾Arafat’s visit, caused the death of a two-year-old child and the wounding of over thirty people. (September 15) by the head of the PLO, Y. ῾Arafāt, who was received by Pertini, the foreign minister, the secretaries of the DC, the PCI and the PSI, but not by Spadolini, while PSDI, PRI and PLI protested for the welcome given to him. That the problem of relations with the Palestinian resistance was not always an easy and straightforward path was confirmed by the attack on the synagogue in Rome which, a few days after ῾Arafat’s visit, caused the death of a two-year-old child and the wounding of over thirty people. (September 15) by the head of the PLO, Y. ῾Arafāt, who was received by Pertini, the foreign minister, the secretaries of the DC, the PCI and the PSI, but not by Spadolini, while PSDI, PRI and PLI protested for the welcome given to him. That the problem of relations with the Palestinian resistance was not always an easy and straightforward path was confirmed by the attack on the synagogue in Rome which, a few days after ῾Arafat’s visit, caused the death of a two-year-old child and the wounding of over thirty people.

Meanwhile the definitive crisis of the government headed by Spadolini was maturing, which was unable to heal the internal conflicts within his ministry. On 1 December 1982 he was succeeded by A. Fanfani at the head of a coalition DC, PSI, PSDI, PLI. But it was clearly a transitional solution in view of new political elections. To bring forward the electoral deadline, the Socialists aimed above all, confident of improving the balance of power both with the DC and with the PCI. The two major parties appeared, in fact, to be in crisis, both looking for a new political strategy. In particular, the DC had initiated a phase of internal change under the leadership of the new secretariat of C. De Mita, a member of the party’s left. But the process of moralization and renewal, which has just begun, it failed to revitalize a party worn down by the scandals that had tarnished its image in previous years. In the political elections that were held on June 26-27, 1983, the DC lost 5.4% of the votes to 32.9%, a result that did not affect its position as the largest Italian party even if the gap with the PCI narrowed. The Communists, still penalized – despite the contribution of candidates coming from a formation of the new left, the PdUP for Communism – stood at 29.9%. The Communist Party appeared isolated in its choice of a democratic alternative that could neither bypass the PSI nor ignore it, while the socialist objective was openly to gain an electoral advantage even at the expense of the Communists.

According to HOLIDAYSORT.COM, the elections rewarded the PRI with 5.1% and the doubling of seats in the Chamber, a sign that Spadolini had aroused much consensus and highlighted a non-subordinate role of the Republicans. The result of the PSI, which went from 9.8 to 11.4%, was the first electoral success of the Craxi secretariat. All the more significant in relation to the Christian Democrat and Communist collapse. The PSI was thus able to strengthen its image as a pivotal party in the political system. And on 21 July Pertini gave Craxi the task of forming the new government.