[citation needed] Like his brother Enrico, he was a major figure in the Italian Communist Party (PCI) and was elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 1972, 1976, and 1979, and to the Senate of the Republic in 1983 and 1987.

He ran for secretary of the Democrats of the Left (DS) in 2001 but was defeated by Piero Fassino 61.8% to 34.1%.

Berlinguer was in charge of the first National Health Plan in the context of the Economic Development Program adopted by the Italian Parliament in 1968.

[7] This change implied that the CNB opinions were open to contributions not only of specialists but also of lay people, and new channels of communication were established with the public at large.

The democratic guidance had comments and a significant impact at the local, national, and international level.