In March 1978, Italy woke to a political nightmare. Aldo Moro — a former prime minister and architect of a fragile coalition — had been kidnapped by the Red Brigades. His five bodyguards were murdered in the street. For 55 days, the Brigades taunted the government with proof-of-life photos. Then came the final blow: Moro’s body was found in a car near the headquarters of his political party, the Christian Democratic Party.

The message was unmistakable — the state could not protect its own.

This was the apex of what is today known as the "Anni di Piombo" — the "Years of Lead." It was a decade of political terrorism that left hundreds dead and shook Italian democracy to its core. With it came the lesson that when democracies hollow out their defenses against extremism, the consequences can be violent, destabilizing, and hard to reverse.

The Red Brigades emerged in the early 1970s as a fringe revolutionary leftist group bent on overthrowing the state. They robbed banks and sabotaged factories. They targeted judges, journalists, officials, and politicians. What began as sporadic violence became systematic — kidnappings, assassinations, and a disciplined campaign to delegitimize the state.

During the same period, the

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