ABSTRACT
The permanent boom of Italy's economy, lax tax collection and an open-handed attitude with public money bred an amused tolerance for the intrigues and palace coups of Italy's political class. The pro-American, center-right Christian Democrats (DC) took the helm straight after the war and administered the country in the company of the small "lay" parties of the Center until the mid-1960s. The other political force whose ideas never gained mainstream acceptance in Italy was the neo-fascist Italian Social Movement (MSI). The perpetual presence in government of a single political party was not the only distinguishing feature of Italian democracy. There is much that is valuable in LaPalombara's analysis. By saying that the party system was an outgrowth of the Italian national character and that the clientelistic form of politics was deeply rooted in the nation's way of life, Democracy, Italian Style said something that was both unpopular and true.
