The article analyses the biography of Tommaso Fiore, an intellectual and a member of the Partito d’azione and of the Italian Socialist Party in the decades between the second World War and the 1970’s. Through the examination of Fiore’s writings and of varied archival sources, especially his correspondence located in the Bari National Library, the paper tries to fill some evident gaps in the historical literature concerning Fiore’s activities in the Post-War period. There are two other purposes in this account: on one hand, assessing the difficulties met by intellectuals trying to influence the programmes and ideas of mass parties during the Cold War; on the other, reflecting on the PSI’s positions concerning Italy’s southern question.
Keywords: Tommaso Fiore; southern question; Italian Socialist Party; autonomy