the factories." Consequently, on February 20, 1977, the two tendencies split to form separate sections, with the far-left operaista element under Foa and Capanna soon abandoning the PdUP altogether in order to help constitute Proletarian Democracy formally as a new party. Magri's majority had earlier absorbed the Avanguardia Operaia movement, but it too was to leave the PdUP in 1978 following the congress held at Viareggio that year. However, during its third congress in Rome in 1981, the party was joined by the Workers' Movement for Socialism (Movimento Lavoratori per il Socialismo; MLS), a Maoist group led by Luca Cafiero. Absorption into the PCI and later events After the elections of 1983, the PdUP joined the PCI list, to which it had become closer after the PCI secretary Enrico Berlinguer had abandoned the Historic Compromise (a project for a PCI-Christian Democracy alliance). On November 25, 1984, the PdUP merged into the PCI. When, in 1991, Achille Occhetto started the process of transforming the PCI into the social democratic-oriented Democratic Party of the Left (PDS), some former PdUP members declared their opposition to the move and joined the Communist Refoundation Party (PRC). After the latter withdrew from the centre-left Lamberto Dini government in 1995, many former PdUP members left the party to create the Movement of Unitarian Communists, which later was absorbed into the PDS' heir, the Democrats of the Left. Notable members Vittorio Agnoletto Luca Cafiero Mario Capanna Massimo Caprara Luciana Castellina Mario Catalano Famiano Crucianelli Ivano Di Cerbo Davide Ferrari Vittorio Foa Paolo Gentiloni Alfonso Gianni Franco Grillini Lucio Magri Ramon Mantovani Lidia Menapace Eliseo Milani Silvano Miniati Roberto Musacchio Aldo Natoli Valentino Parlato Carlo Petrini Luciano Pettinari Luigi Pintor Rossana Rossanda Giovanni Russo Spena Massimo Serafini Vincenzo Vita Election results Italian Parliament European Parliament References 1972 establishments in Italy 1984 disestablishments in Italy Defunct communist parties in Italy Defunct political parties in Italy Political parties established in 1972 Political parties disestablished in 1984