Fiat: The secrets of an epoch

Abstract

This book is an authentic historical document, supported by extensive analytical information, in which former Fiat top manager Giorgio Garuzzo passionately recounts his experience within Fiat between 1976 and 1996. It is a narrative from the inside that sheds new light on events that have remained cloaked in mystery: the arrival and departure of Carlo De Benedetti, the "march of the forty thousand", the sacking of Vittorio Ghidella, the clashes between Umberto Agnelli and Cesare Romiti, the Group's involvement in the "clean hands" scandal, the role of Gianni Agnelli and his relationships with his brother and Cesare Romiti and the intervention of Mediobanca. Garuzzo discusses the issues connected with the range of cars and marques, touching on major themes of national or international relevance that were unrelated to Fiat but nonetheless conditioned its activities: terrorism and the unmanageability of the factories, inflation, the devaluation of the lira, the role of the trade unions and the General Confederation of Italian Industry, Japanese competition and European integration.