Reinventing the Italian Right

Territorial Politics, Populism and 'Post-Fascism'

By Stefano Fella, Carlo Ruzza

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About the Book

The former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi was the most controversial leading politician in Europe. This is a sharp examination of the Berlusconi phenomenon, explaining the development of his former ruling coalition and how it proved so successful despite heavy domestic and international criticism.

Each of the three main partners in the former ruling coalition - Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, the 'post-fascist' National Alliance and the Lega Nord - are examined in detail and the discussion is framed in a comparative perspective, exploring the nature of the Italian Right in the context of right-wing parties and the populist phenomenon elsewhere in other liberal democracies. The authors also discuss whether the Italian Right poses a threat to democracy in Italy. This is an excellent insight into a key European nation.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction 2. Historical Antecedents and the Roots of the Modern Italian Right 3. The Lega Nord 4. The National Alliance 5. Forza Italia 6. The Unstable Coalition: The Right in Government and Opposition 7. Conclusion: The New Populist Right and Italy