Antonio De Berti

Antonio De Berti (7 September 1889 – 2 May 1952) was a Dalmatian Italian politician, deputy, and irredentist.

Biography De Berti was born in Pago, Austria-Hungary, which is in the present-day Croatia, into an Italian family of Lombard descent. He started his studies in Zara; however, the untimely death of his father Antonio forced his family to move away from the city. They first resettled in Trieste, and later in Pola.

De Berti was very active in parliament, fighting to solve the problems of the irredent lands, particularly of his city of adoption, Pola, endeavouring to build a shipyard at the city's Scoglio Olivi. He was in conflict with the Italian fascists, who challenged his L'Azione with their Il Nuovo Giornale and L'Istria nuova. His newspaper was forced to close and De Berti to ask to be dismissed as a deputy. The newspaper's closure lasted one week, and the Kingdom of Italy's Chamber of Deputies rejected his resignation. He was with Alcide De Gasperi at the 1945 Council of Foreign Ministers in London and at the 1947 Paris Peace Conference as an expert of the irredent lands. He supported the annexation of the Venezia Giulia, and later opposed the ratification of the Treaty of Paris between Italy and the Allied Powers. He later joined the Socialist Party of Italian Workers, which became the Italian Democratic Socialist Party. He was later nominated counselor of the state, and joined the superior board of the armed forces. In 1951, he became head of cabinet under Saragat, and minister of the merchant navy. De Berti died in Rome on 2 May 1952. His funerals were held in Rome and Trieste.