1978, March 16. 2001. The Encyclopedia of World History

The Encyclopedia of World History. 2001.


1978, March 16

Red Brigade terrorists kidnapped former prime minister Aldo Moro. This left-wing terrorist organization had waged violent campaigns against the political and business establishment of Italy since the early 1970s. After the government refused to release a number of prisoners as demanded, Moro's body was found in Rome (May 9). Terrorism began to wane in the late 1970s as the government passed new antiterrorist measures that allowed the police greater powers.	1

April–May

Parliament passed a liberal abortion law, which allowed free termination during the first 90 days of pregnancy for any woman older than 18. A referendum in May 1981 favored the law and rejected broad changes proposed by the Roman Catholic Movement for Life. The Constitutional Court confirmed (April 1988) the right of women to undergo abortion without the knowledge of their husbands.	2

Dec. 12

Italy decided to join the European Monetary System from its proposed inauguration in 1979.	3


The Encyclopedia of World History, Sixth edition. Peter N. Stearns, general editor. Copyright © 2001 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Maps by Mary Reilly, copyright © 2001 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.