1. MAURIZIO COTTA - LUCA VERZICHELLI IL SISTEMA POLITICO ITALIANO CHAPTER 3 The party system From the polarized pluralism to the bipolar alternation

2. Topics of this chapter Some short remarks on the liberal era The interpretations of the First Republic’s party system The new party system after 1994  party organizations  coalitions

3. An overview: the four Italian party systems 1861-1918: predominant party 1919-1924: atomization 1946-1993: polarized pluralism 1994- : fractionalized but not polarized multiparty system

4. 1861-1918: the predominant party Limited enfranchisement Notable parties Liberal Party as predominant actor

5. 1919-1924: the atomization General enfranchisement of the male voters Coexistence between notable and mass parties

6. 1946-1993: the interpretations Giorgio Galli: the imperfect two-party system Giovanni Sartori: the polarized multiparty system Paolo Farneti: the centripetal multiparty system

7. 1946-1993: some basic facts Left-right and religion-laicism as critical cleavages Extreme stability of the main political cultures Pci and Dc as typical mass parties with a large membership Strong internal competition inside the Dc fueled by the preferential (personal) vote Earliest de-freezing since 1976 onward

8. 1991-1993: the end of the First Republic The fall of the international Communism and the Communist Party change The criticisms against the PR (Proportional Representation) and the 1991 and 1993 electoral referenda Judicial campaign against corruption

9. 1994: the birth of the Second Republic March 1994: a critical parliamentary election  A new mixed-member electoral system  A three-pole competition

10. After March 1994: partisan change, basic facts The demise of Christian Democrats and center parties The persistent success of Northern League and Forza Italia The change of past-Communist and past-Fascist parties

11. The Second Republic’s elections since 1994 The changing coalitions 199419962001200620082013 ESTREMA SINISTRA Rifondazione Comunista Sinistra Arcobaleno SINISTRAProgressisti Ulivo- Rifondazione Comunista UlivoUnione Partito Democratico- Italia dei Valori Partito Democratico- Sinistra Ecologia e Libertà CENTROPatto per l'ItaliaLega Nord Italia dei Valori- Democrazia Europea-Lista Pannella UdcScelta Civica DESTRA Polo delle Libertà-Polo del Buongoverno Polo delle Libertà Casa delle Libertà ESTREMA DESTRA Fiamma Tricolore Fiamma Tricolore

12. Parliamentary fractionalization, Nepp 1948-2013

13. The party system change since the Nineties A synthesis Electoral coalitions and bipolar competition High fractionalization Weakness of both larger parties Weak leaders in the Leftist coalition

14. Recent party organizations changes From the mass party to the  Catch-all party  Cartel party  Cadre party  Personal party