Italy: A Difficult Democracy: A Survey of Italian Politics

Cover......Page 1
Frontmatter......Page 2
Contents......Page 6
Preface......Page 10
Map of Italy showing regional borders and capitals......Page 12
1 - The political context......Page 14
The unloved state......Page 15
All-powerful parties......Page 17
Polarized fragmentation......Page 21
Ideological antinomy......Page 23
Plebiscitary elections......Page 25
Christian Democratic dominance......Page 27
Instability in stability......Page 29
2 - The Christian Democrats: The indispensable center?......Page 33
\"Medio tutissimus ibis\"......Page 34
The party as a power machine......Page 37
The end of hegemony......Page 39
Who runs the party......Page 41
How the party runs......Page 45
Who supports the party......Page 46
Can the center hold?......Page 51
3 - The Communists\' struggle for legitimacy and acceptance......Page 54
A strategy of cooperation......Page 55
From unity to diversity......Page 59
Party power -- democracy versus centralism......Page 64
From belief to agnosticism......Page 68
Members and electorate......Page 73
Protestants of the Communist church?......Page 78
4 - The ambiguous role of the Socialists......Page 81
\"Barnum\'s circus\"......Page 82
Strong factions, weak leaders......Page 86
The Craxi reformation......Page 88
Italy\'s \"Socialist problem\"......Page 96
5 - The small parties: The lay forces and the extremes......Page 99
Little parties, big ideas......Page 100
The Radical cousins......Page 107
The far right......Page 109
The far left......Page 112
6 - Parliament, prime minister, and president......Page 116
The parliamentary sideshow......Page 118
Parliamentary organization......Page 120
Parliament\'s performance......Page 122
Return to trasformismo......Page 126
Weak executive......Page 128
Referenda: Monkey wrench or democratic tool?......Page 132
The peripheral role of the president......Page 135
7 - Public administration and sottogoverno......Page 140
Civil service organization and personnel......Page 141
Civil service performance......Page 145
Autonomous agencies and public corporations......Page 149
Sottogoverno + party control = political power......Page 153
The place of the judiciary......Page 163
The creaking machinery of justice......Page 167
Politicized justice......Page 171
Embattled civil liberties......Page 175
Criminal justice and the penal system......Page 179
Public safety and the police......Page 180
Conspiracies and \"conspiracies\"......Page 183
The right\'s \"strategy of tension\"......Page 188
The left\'s attack on \"the heart of the state\"......Page 192
The mafia......Page 198
10 - Economic and social transformation......Page 207
Amazing growth......Page 208
The role of the trade unions......Page 211
The role of employers......Page 221
The changing face of industry......Page 223
Twentieth-century baroque......Page 230
11 - Regional devolution and the problem of the South......Page 235
Austria irredenta......Page 236
Delayed devolution......Page 238
Regionalism in practice......Page 239
The sad face of the South......Page 243
The problem of land......Page 245
The problem of capital......Page 246
Industrialization without development......Page 248
Under its own steam......Page 250
The gap that remains......Page 252
12 - The changing relations between church and state......Page 254
The solution of the \"Roman question\"......Page 255
Farewell to \"Catholic Italy\"......Page 259
A new modus vivendi......Page 262
The postconciliar church......Page 266
The laity in a changing environment......Page 268
The church and the parties......Page 271
Passive and pacific......Page 276
Diffused authority......Page 278
Quiet success......Page 281
Growing consensus......Page 285
Weak commitment......Page 286
Good relations with everyone......Page 291
Government instability......Page 296
Lack of alternation......Page 297
The art of the impossible......Page 299
\"Eppur si muove\"......Page 300
Prosperity and peace......Page 303
On the upswing......Page 304
Appendixes......Page 306
A. Election results: Chamber of Deputies......Page 308
B. Prime ministers and their governments......Page 309
D. Popes......Page 310
E. Some economic indicators......Page 311
F. Comparative annual average growth rates......Page 312
G. Some indicators of social change......Page 313
H. Regional variations of per capita national income......Page 314
I. Religious practice and electoral preference......Page 315
Bibliography......Page 316
Index......Page 326