The aim of the course is to give the students the elements to understand the rise and working of the post-1945 Italian democracy as well as to explore the consequences of the changes that have taken place since 1992. The instruments used will be the ones of political science, sociology and comparative analysis, applied to party politics and political history. Emphasis will be placed on the impact of the North/South divide since Unification, the peculiarities of Italy as a “consociative” and “blocked” democracy throughout the Cold War period, the rise of a more competitive/majoritarian system, as well as the influence of the European unification process on party realignment during the 1990’s.
Prerequisites:
None. Students who have already taken courses in comparative politics, European political development, or other political and social disciplines may find the course easier to follow, but the structure is such that anyone may follow it.
Method of presentation:
Lectures and discussions on key-problems of Italian politics and history. Critical analysis of assigned readings. Questions and comments are welcome during class time with regard to the Italian political organization, history, political culture and other relevant issues. The group will have the chance to visit the national headquarters of the Northern League and the Lombardy Region’s Council.
LANGUAGE OF PRESENTATION: English
Required work and form of assessment:
Regular and active participation (30%); midterm exam (25%); individual work (research papers or in-class presentations during the course of the semester) (20%); final exam (25%)
Students are expected to attend lectures and to keep up with the readings. The midterm and final exams will be based on multiple-choice questionnaires and short compositions. The questionnaire will be used to assess the knowledge of basic concepts and selected historical facts. In-class tests will also serve to prepare students for the Final. Topics for individual work will be decided with the students. They may be required to find appropriate materials (from the IES Library, university libraries, newspapers, Internet).
content:
PART I
1. The emergence of the Italian nation-state
- The Italian Risorgimento and the National Revolutions in the Continental West
- The “Southern question” and Italy’s political development: Gramsci’s and ‘whig’ interpretations of the
North-South fault
- A view of political modernization as a process of spatial diffusion
2. Mass politics in Italy to 1945
- Liberals, Socialists, Confessionals: Continental politics and the Left/Right dimension
- The emergence of the Socialist and Catholic political ‘subcultures’ after 1880
- The interwar crisis: The Fascist interlude in comparative perspective
3. The “First Republic” in comparative perspective
- Presidential vs. Parliamentary: U.S. and Italy’s 1948 Constitutions compared
- Majoritarian vs. Consociational: The Atlantic and Continental models of democracy
- The South, the Cold War and the making of Italy’s“blocked” democracy
- The Italian political system after 1962: Consociativism, regionalization and the crisis of the 1970’s
PART II
4. The decline and fall of the First Republic
- The three roots of “systematic corruption” in post-war Italy
- Raising the “Northern problem”: The history and vision of the Northern League
- The Northern League, the Clean Hands Operation and the MV Referendum movement
- Social change and political change: Italy’s transition and the theory of democratization
5. The new party system: voter realignment and parliamentary dynamics
- The new electoral system and the emergence of a bi-polar system
- The rise of the Center-left and Center-right alliances, 1993 to 2000
6. The social and territorial bases of the new party system
- “European” (German) social protection or “American” growth? The politics of the welfare state reform in the 1990’s and 2000’s
- The post-1993 partisan alignments: class and cultural cleavages
- The new electoral map: Blue North, red Center, floating South
7. The 2001 election and beyond
- The twilight of the Center-Left rule and the re-emergence of the radical left after 1998
- The Center-right cabinet, the U.S. and the European unification process
- The 2006 Election and the unfinished transition: Still a “divided” country?
- The debate on Islamic immigration
Required readings:
The course pack will contain all the required readings. The instructor will provide students with further materials for their research papers and guide them in their independent research.
The aim of the course is to give the students the elements to understand the rise and working of the post-1945 Italian democracy as well as to explore the consequences of the changes that have taken place since 1992. The instruments used will be the ones of political science, sociology and comparative analysis, applied to party politics and political history. Emphasis will be placed on the impact of the North/South divide since Unification, the peculiarities of Italy as a “consociative” and “blocked” democracy throughout the Cold War period, the rise of a more competitive/majoritarian system, as well as the influence of the European unification process on party realignment during the 1990’s.
None. Students who have already taken courses in comparative politics, European political development, or other political and social disciplines may find the course easier to follow, but the structure is such that anyone may follow it.
Lectures and discussions on key-problems of Italian politics and history. Critical analysis of assigned readings. Questions and comments are welcome during class time with regard to the Italian political organization, history, political culture and other relevant issues. The group will have the chance to visit the national headquarters of the Northern League and the Lombardy Region’s Council.
LANGUAGE OF PRESENTATION: English
Regular and active participation (30%); midterm exam (25%); individual work (research papers or in-class presentations during the course of the semester) (20%); final exam (25%)
Students are expected to attend lectures and to keep up with the readings. The midterm and final exams will be based on multiple-choice questionnaires and short compositions. The questionnaire will be used to assess the knowledge of basic concepts and selected historical facts. In-class tests will also serve to prepare students for the Final. Topics for individual work will be decided with the students. They may be required to find appropriate materials (from the IES Library, university libraries, newspapers, Internet).
PART I
1. The emergence of the Italian nation-state
- The Italian Risorgimento and the National Revolutions in the Continental West
- The “Southern question” and Italy’s political development: Gramsci’s and ‘whig’ interpretations of the
North-South fault
- A view of political modernization as a process of spatial diffusion
2. Mass politics in Italy to 1945
- Liberals, Socialists, Confessionals: Continental politics and the Left/Right dimension
- The emergence of the Socialist and Catholic political ‘subcultures’ after 1880
- The interwar crisis: The Fascist interlude in comparative perspective
3. The “First Republic” in comparative perspective
- Presidential vs. Parliamentary: U.S. and Italy’s 1948 Constitutions compared
- Majoritarian vs. Consociational: The Atlantic and Continental models of democracy
- The South, the Cold War and the making of Italy’s“blocked” democracy
- The Italian political system after 1962: Consociativism, regionalization and the crisis of the 1970’s
PART II
4. The decline and fall of the First Republic
- The three roots of “systematic corruption” in post-war Italy
- Raising the “Northern problem”: The history and vision of the Northern League
- The Northern League, the Clean Hands Operation and the MV Referendum movement
- Social change and political change: Italy’s transition and the theory of democratization
5. The new party system: voter realignment and parliamentary dynamics
- The new electoral system and the emergence of a bi-polar system
- The rise of the Center-left and Center-right alliances, 1993 to 2000
6. The social and territorial bases of the new party system
- “European” (German) social protection or “American” growth? The politics of the welfare state reform in the 1990’s and 2000’s
- The post-1993 partisan alignments: class and cultural cleavages
- The new electoral map: Blue North, red Center, floating South
7. The 2001 election and beyond
- The twilight of the Center-Left rule and the re-emergence of the radical left after 1998
- The Center-right cabinet, the U.S. and the European unification process
- The 2006 Election and the unfinished transition: Still a “divided” country?
- The debate on Islamic immigration
The course pack will contain all the required readings. The instructor will provide students with further materials for their research papers and guide them in their independent research.