ABSTRACT

Italy to all appearances has a democratic, parliamentary, republican, multi-party, political structure. The trouble is that the political parties have their headquarters and their leading men in Rome, which is also the centre of the government administration. The Christian Democrats pursue the moderate policy under the leadership of a small group of prominent men who represent local interests or specific social categories. The whole electorate has changed, too, mainly because the whole of Italian society is in course of transformation. The Catholic trade unions began as associations or societies of workers. The process towards the integration of the Italian trade unions is well under way, but new problems are already looming on the horizon. Organization in the strict sense, however, came only very gradually. The majority of those exercising political power are drawn from this group of intellectuals and professional politicians.