ABSTRACT
In terms of the numbers, identities and relative sizes of the principal parties, the Italian party system has undergone a transformation – a degree of change so rare that it normally only takes place under extreme conditions, including a break in continuity following the collapse of a regime. Since 1989 Italian politics have undergone a revolution, this chapter analyses its causes and consequences. It explains the trajectories taken by the main party organizations and alliances from the late 1980s through to the election of 1996. The chapter deals with the decomposition and recomposition of the Italian party system from the perspective of the three sets of causal factors: clientelism, corruption and the onset of the Tangentopoli investigations; electoral change and the emergence and growth of the Northern League; and the crystallization of a movement seeking reform through strategic use of the referendum device. This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
