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Italy: Italian Republic. Traditional N-S Divide 58.1 million Roman law tradition Main peninsula + Sardinia and Sicily. History. Risorgimento, or Unification, of Italy (1815-1871) Guiseppe Garibaldi. History: Mussolini. Mussolini (became P.M. in 1922) Appointed by King Vittorio Emanuele
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Italy: Italian Republic Traditional N-S Divide 58.1 million Roman law tradition Main peninsula + Sardinia and Sicily
History • Risorgimento, or Unification, of Italy (1815-1871) • Guiseppe Garibaldi
History: Mussolini • Mussolini (became P.M. in 1922) • Appointed by King Vittorio Emanuele • Mussolini transformed Italy into authoritarian state • Lateran Pacts with Pope Pius XI (1929) • Overthrown in 1943, executed by Italian Resistance in 1945
The Execution of Benito Mussolini and Clara Petacci • April, 1945 • Milan, Italy • Mussolini caught trying to escape, Petacci refused to leave but joined Mussolini
History • Italy became a democratic republic in1946 that abolished monarchy • Tangentopoli scandal of early 1990s destroyed Christian Democratic party; some speak of “second republic” emerging from the period (more generally, Italy’s problem with “clientelism”) • Social services and health care today (among other industries) are plagued with corruption.
Political Parties • Silvio Berlusconi and Forza Italia
Political Parties • Two Broad Coalitions: • Olive Tree Coalition • House of Liberty Coalition
Executive • President:Giorgio Napolitano • Prime Minister: Romano Prodi
Legislative Branch • “Perfect Bicameralism” • Senate of 315 seats; • Chamber of Deputies of 630 seats • Parlimentary System
Constitutional Court • Has become more prominent in Italian politics
Political Parties • Less chaotic since changes in 1990 • Less proportional representation • Tendency toward a center-left and a center-right coalition
Cicciolina • Elected to Italian parliament in 1987
Electoral Process • Proportional • Reformed in 1991-1993 • “preference votes”
Referendums • Used heavily in Italy, for decisions on: • Electoral methods • Abortion • Divorce • Nuclear Energy • Drug Decriminalization • Political party financing
Politics • Of the major EU countries, citizens of Italy seem the most dissatisfied with their own government • A “discontented democracy”
Attitudes toward the EU • An inclination to balance Atlanticism and the EU • A supranational inclination • An inability to lead Europe • A weakness in implementing EU policies