It was founded in February 1998 by Francesco Cossiga (former Prime Minister and President) in order to provide a majority in Parliament for the creation of the D'Alema I Cabinet.

Cossiga'a sim was to facilitate the creation of a centre-left governments without the support of the Communist Refoundation Party.

Most party members rallied behind Mastella and joined his Union of Democrats for Europe (UDEUR).

Those around Cossiga formed the Union for the Republic (UpR), whose leading members (Angelo Sanza, Giorgio Rebuffa, etc.

Buttiglione had previously re-established the CDU, as Segni did with his Pact, while Ferri joined FI.