The Italian connection: Donne in Lotta per la Pace, the Women’s International Democratic Federation, and transnational pacifism in the 1980s

The following article focuses on the history of the connection between the Women’s International Democratic Federation (WIDF) and Italy in the 1980s, through the history of Donne in lotta per la pace (DLP, Women in Struggle for Peace), a small leftist organisation founded in Florence in 1981 and active until 1992. This article provides the first sustained historical analysis of the connection between the WIDF and Italian activism in the 1980s, on which no previous scholarly analysis has focused. As the piece shows, DLP became a key interlocutor for the WIDF, linking local activism against US nuclear missiles and militarisation to transnational networks for peace. The article traces DLP’s formation, its participation in international conferences, and its engagement with WIDF initiatives focused on anti-militarism and peace. It argues that the WIDF supported smaller, locally grounded organisations like DLP to connect national concerns with global struggles. By analysing DLP’s demonstrations, delegations, and publications, the article highlights Italy’s role in international women’s peace activism and underscores the WIDF’s central role in fostering transnational solidarity and a culture of women-centred peace.