The Oldest Republic – Episode 8

1950s. Around the world, women are gaining political rights. In nearby Italy, women have already voted for the first time. In San Marino, however, change arrives slowly.

In this episode of The Oldest Republic, we explore the long and difficult struggle for women’s suffrage in the Republic of San Marino — a story shaped by political tensions, social conservatism and determined activism.

The episode follows the gradual path that led Sammarinese women from exclusion to participation: from the first campaigns for the right to vote, to the creation of women’s committees and popular petitions, all the way to the historic reforms of the 1970s.

But this story is also full of contradictions. During the years of the social-communist government, it was often the left-wing parties that resisted women’s suffrage, fearing the influence of the Church on female voters. At the same time, many Christian Democratic women became leading voices in the fight for political rights.

From the debates surrounding legal equality and citizenship to the disappointment of delayed reforms, the Republic slowly opened its institutions to women. The right to vote arrived in 1959, but women had to wait until 1973 to gain the right to stand for election.

The episode also traces the emergence of the first female political leaders, from Myriam Michelotti, Clara Boscaglia and Fausta Morganti to Maria Lea Pedini, the first woman Captain Regent in San Marino’s history.

Behind these milestones lies a broader transformation: the gradual change of Sammarinese society itself, as education, work and public life increasingly reshaped the role of women within the Republic.

A small state confronting one of the great civil rights struggles of the twentieth century.

#SanMarino #History #TheOldestRepublic #Women #CivilRights

Welcome to the history of the oldest republic in the world.

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This podcast is sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs of San Marino, with the support of the San Marino Centre for Historical Studies (University of San Marino).

The texts are based on L. Gorgolini, S. Pivato (eds.), History of San Marino, 2026. This episode is based on chapter 8: V. Rossi, Sammarinese Women and The Attainment of Women's Suffrage.

Author: Giuseppe Giardi
Hosts: Carlotta Serra Ciotti and Federica Ghirotti
Video: Luca Zucchi

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:00 The Historical Context
03:10 The Struggle for the Right to Vote
09:18 A Greater Participation
13:56 The First Woman to become Captain Regent