Italy: Sunset of a Partitocracy

Abstract

Between 1992 and 1994 the Italian political system went through a major crisis which directly affected the actors discussed in this book and the relationships between them. Writing in the immediate aftermath of the ‘revolution’ obviously creates special problems. First, the past looks more ‘past’, that is to say, less relevant for understanding the present than in other cases. Second, the ‘new’ is difficult to evaluate accurately and there are still serious doubts as to whether the new rules of the game will be consolidated. On the other hand, the crisis of the ‘old regime’ exposed to public scrutiny a significant part of the less visible side of politics, thus rendering easier the understanding of some political phenomena. Moreover, the opportunity to compare within the same country (that is other things being equal) different ‘regimes’ or, more accurately, the ‘old regime’ in its full strength, the transitional phase of its fall, and the emerging new phase provides a basis for a better understanding of the characteristics of politica11ife. Finally, when the regime of party dominance was in full swing, its strengths were naturally underlined and the control exercised by the parties over all political processes was stressed; the abrupt crisis and breakdown of the regime leads to questions being raised also about its weaknesses.