Social Democratic Party (Etruria)
Social Democratic Party Partito Socialdemocratico Socijaldemokratska Partija Socialdemokratska Stranka | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | SD |
| Leader | Chiara Mastromarino |
| Deputy Leader | Martino Panarello |
| Federal Coordinator | Serena Romaniello |
| President | Nera Stipičević |
| Founded | May 2, 1902 (As PLD) November 11, 1946 (As PDL) April 10, 1980 (As SD) |
| Headquarters | Casa Milo, Via Miloš Vidović, San Alessandro, Dinara, Etruria |
| Newspaper | Campione Rosso |
| Think tank | Etrurian Institute for Social Progress |
| Student wing | Social Democratic Students |
| Youth wing | Progressive Youth |
| Women's wing | Women of the Rose |
| Labour wing | CSE |
| Grass-roots organisation | Etrurian Socialist Rally |
| Membership (2020) |  456,111 |
| Ideology | Social democracy Democratic socialism Pro-Eucleanism |
| Political position | Centre-left |
| Continental affiliation | Socialist Alternative for Euclea |
| International affiliation | International Socialist Forum |
| Colours | Pink |
| Anthem | Bella Ciao |
| Chamber of Representatives | 38 / 650
|
| State Council | 0 / 290
|
| State Assemblies | 2 / 15
|
| Website | |
| sd.org.et | |
The Social Democratic Party (Vespasian: Partito Socialdemocratico; Novalian: Socijaldemokratska partija; Carinthian: Socialdemokratska Stranka), mostly known by the abbreviation SD, is a centre-left social democratic political party in Etruria. It is the fourth largest party in Etruria by federal representation.
The SD was founded in 1902 as the Democratic Labour Party (PLD) as a moderate offshoot of the Etrurian Section of the Workers Internationale (SEIL). The party's founders led by Giorlamo Andrea Oriano rejected the revolutionary project of SEIL and instead opted to mobilise the Etrurian trade union movement toward progressive political reform, either as the senior party in coalition or in support of the National Liberal Union, which dominated Etrurian politics at the time. From 1902 to 1914, the party struggled to breakthrough into national representation owing to the established popularity and political machine of SEIL. However, the Great Collapse and is resulting economic devastation provided a pathway for the party as SEIL sought to radicalise the working class. For the next decade, the party would return as the fourth largest party uninterrupted until 1924, when the SEIL was abolished and banned under the Schiatarella Plan, this left the PLD as the sole major left-wing party and it surged to third place in 1926. The party would decline as a result of fierce infighting over Etruria's involvement in the Great War, but remained within the national unity government throughout the war. The PLD was banned and most of its leaders killed in wake of the Legionary Reaction in 1938, which established the far-right totalitarian Greater Solarian Republic.
In 1946, the party was resurrected as the Democratic Worker's Party (PDL) following the GSR's defeat in the Solarian War. Led by Aurelio Marco Argente, the PDL came fourth in the 1947 federal election, winning 60 seats. It would enter into coalition with the Sotirian Democratic Libertas and liberal Democratic Action, this marked the beginning of a near continuous role in government until 1954, when Libertas entered into coalition with right-wing parties, notably including the New Republic Movement. The PDL's role in coalitions identified by their incompetence, ineffiency and failures in Etrurian reconstruction resulted in the party being eclipsed by the far-left United Social Workers Party which included figures who fled the GSR for Kirenia during the 1930s and 1940s and returned with a more radical agenda for social change. The rise of ethnic nationalism in Novalia and Carinthia throughout the 1950s and the outbreak of violence would ultimately lead to the decline of the USWP, as the PDL began to advocate for a more equitable reconstruction programme and a reforms to empower Etruria's states. In 1958, the PDL's leader, Gabriele Viviano became President as head of a blue-pink coalition with Libertas. Viviano would lead the PDL into a close second place in the 1959 federal election, however, Viviano's willingness to negotiate with the left-wing nationalists in Carinthia and Novalia and the continued economic decline caused by Etruria's slow recovery from the Solarian War led to the bloodless coup d'état in 1960 by the Etrurian Defence Force. The PDL along with most political parties would be abolished and banned.
The PDL's members and leaders would constitute the vanguard of the pro-democracy movement during the Junta period (1960-1984). Many figures from the PDL would be disappeared or killed by the military dictatorship, however, the party continued to exist in some form underground, where many academics and commentators organised protests and strikes. Despite their efforts, the military regime would remain in power, yet announced its intentions to negotiate with the democracy movement in the late 1970s, once the violence in the western states had subsided. Miloš Vidović, an ethnic Novalian and former junior minister in the Viviano government was appointed head of the National Citizens Committee for Democratic Restoration (CNCRD), he would secure a roadmap for fresh elections and a new constitution by 1984. In 1980, Vidović and several CNCRD members founded the Social Democratic Party and in 1983, confirmed a new constitution had been agreed. The following year, the SD under Vidović won a landslide victory in the first elections since 1959, entering into coalition with Sotirian Democracy, the successor to Libertas. The SD-DS government instituted numerous social reforms, including expansions to the welfare state, pension increases and economic reforms aimed at establishing a social market economy. In 1989, Vidović quit politics to become Secretary-General of the Community of Nations and was succeeded by Vincenzo Biava who proved less charismatic and led the SD to defeat in the 1994 election. In 2000, Vinko Begović reformed the party toward adopting third way policies and supported privatising state owned enterprises to fund education, health care and social welfare reforms, the SD won the 2002 election and Begović would serve as president for seven years. His government suffered several personal and corruption scandals and was defeated in the 2009 election. The party would remain in opposition until the 2013 election, when it entered into coalition with the Etrurian Federalist Party. During this time, the party suffered from defections as pro-EC members left to form the Citizens' Alliance and in opposition to the party's continued corruption scandals. The SD alongside the AC and EFP would led separate pro-EC campaigns in the 2016 EC referendum, however, the Miraviglia Scandal would destabilise the campaign and the SD, leading to the party's worst result in its history in the year's election. The party under Massimo Giorgio Scordato would suffer further losses in the 2018 election, losing all of its seats in the upper-house and being reduced to XX seats in the lower. In 2019, Chiara Mastromarino was elected leader and has orchestrated a major revitalisation of the SD, the party's resurrection coincided with the Euclean Pink Wave and the party has modernised its policy platform and focused its efforts on opposing the far-right Tribune Movement government.
From 1980 until 2016, the SD was considered to be one of the two major parties of Etrurian politics, alongside the Etrurian Federalist Party. It has provided six of the sixteen post-Solarian War presidents and has been in government as a coalition partner for 28 years since 1946. However, the EC Referendum and Miraviglia Scandal coupled with the rise of the Citizens Alliance and Tribune Movement has seen the SD collapse to historic lows and remains the fourth largest party after the social conservative Farmers and Workers Union. The SD promotes an agenda based around social democracy, communitarianism, progressive social liberalism, though it includes factions who support democratic socialism and left-wing populism. Chiara Mastromarino has led the party since 2019 and previously served as the Prefect of Chiastre. The SD is a member of the Socialist Alternative for Euclea and International Socialist Forum. As of 2019, it is estimated to have 456,000 members, down from a height of 680,000 in 2015.