The Weaknesses of the Democratic Government in Italy

597 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Corruption and bribery

The Weaknesses of the Democratic Government in Italy

One of the main weaknesses of the Italian Democratic Government was

the way it was made up and what it consisted of. During the course of

time from when the unification of Italy took place through to the end

of the First World War, the parliamentary system had established

itself only through bribery and corruption. This was called

‘transformismo’. The proportional representation system meant that

there were lots of splinter parties, and that coalitions had to be

formed in order for there to be any kind of majority. Coalitions

themselves do not mean a government is automatically unstable, it

depends on the social background of the country and the parties

involved.

The main parties in question were Liberals, the Popolari and the

Socialists. These parties had completely different ideals; there was

no way that a successful alliance could be formed. For example,

Socialists hated the church, and wanted to redistribute all the wealth

from it, there was no way that they would collaborate with the

Catholic Popolari. The Popolari hated the Socialists because they

were Atheist. In turn, the Liberals had taken over the Papal States

and driven the Pope out, there was no way that the Popolari would be

able to get on with them. The Liberals and Socialists would not be

able to co-rule successfully as the Liberals were made up of wealthy

factory owners and the Socialists were the ones campaigning for a

‘8-hour working day’ and were part of Trade Unions. The Socialists

blamed the Liberals for war. A major point to remember is that the

Russian Revolution had just taken place in 1917, and many Italians

felt the threat of a Communist uprising looming because of the

Socialist Party. The consequence of all this was an incredibly

unstable government. The Liberals, even though they only obtained 41

votes in the August 1919 elections ended up in power.

The result of a minority party being in power meant that they had no

Show More
Related

  • Foundations of US Government

    642 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the making of the United States, there were many events that are important. This paper intends to highlight a few of those events including; Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation and the Federalist Papers. Many events in America’s history helped to establish the United States as a free and independent country. The Declaration of Independence in particular explains the rights and freedoms that Americans. Each document is like a stepping stones that leads to the next and building upon the pervious document.

    Read More

  • Slavery in the Late 1700s and Early 1800s.

    820 Words  | 2 Pages

    The late 1700’s and early 1800’s can be mostly be tied to one issue, slavery. Slaves had huge impacts on the economy and early years of the United States. They impacted the market, were a major discussion of right and wrong in a lot of congressional meetings, and even though there were some free slaves they still didn’t have the right of other free people although they had much better conditions than those enslaved. With both the North and South having different viewpoints on the issue of slavery and rising tensions gave way to a war to finally determine whether slavery would be abolished or not. All these different factors helped give rise to democracy.

    Read More

  • Why Did Italy Change from a Fascist Government to a New Government

    1646 Words  | 4 Pages

    Italian Fascism became an extremely important phenomenon under the reign of Benito Mussolini during the Second World War. With a run of 22 years, Fascism and its creator became the focal point of Europe during this time. Many Italian citizens, as well as critics believed that Fascism could be a third option, or the in between of Capitalism and Communism, two ideals that Mussolini refused to accept. With the Allies landing on the shores of Italy in their advance to Fascist capital, Mussolini fought for his ideals while the Allies aimed to liberate the country and the citizens who did not follow Mussolini’s government. Why did Italy change from a fascist government to a new government in the siege of Italy during WWII between 1943-45? Italy fought to create a new government in place of the fascist government headed by Benito Mussolini because of the multiple failed promises including a new Roman Empire as a means to overpower King Victor Emmanuel, and to improve on the poverty. The bombing of Rome, the fascist capital of Italy, was targeted by Allied troops entering Italy in order to capture Mussolini, and the armistice that the Italian citizens believed would eradicate Benito Mussolini and Fascism with the help of the Allied powers.

    Read More

  • Dual Government Systems in Italy

    2404 Words  | 5 Pages

    There have been many political crises over the centuries where the people of a country have risen against inequality, demanding rights and a fair chance at citizenship. The Roman Republic, the Italian city-states, and the French Revolution all share common themes of equality. In Italy, after the beginning of the 13th century, dual government systems became necessary in many city-states to satisfy the guildsmen, who were tired of a despotic régime under the old aristocratic families.

    Read More

  • Democracy In Peril: The Pros And Cons Of Democracy

    1366 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Constitution gave our country a frame work in which we have built into a great nation. Their idea is that the purpose of our system, meaning our democracy, is to protect an individual’s liberty. William Hudson tries to convince us that there should be a connection between the government we have today and the government in other countries, Parliamentary System. In chapter 1 of the textbook, Democracy in Peril, starts off by giving the reader background knowledge of the found fathers, signers of the Declaration of Independence and the drafters of the Constitution, which reflect as “democracy models” or “protective democrats.” What the founding fathers did not want to happen is for there to be a corrupt government which ignored the rights

    Read More

  • Articles Of Confederation Strengths And Weaknesses

    1389 Words  | 3 Pages

    Who would have more control? They decided that the whole nation had authority. This idea of "Separation of Powers" helped avoid one group having dominance. Sovereignty was to be divided between state and national governments. The delegates created a government with three branches, and idea inspired by the French philosopher Baron de Montesquieu. The Judicial, Executive, and Legislative branches would check and balance each other. The Judicial branch could now protect our rights and the Executive branch could enforce laws. Congress now had the power to create and impose taxes. The delegates also decided that a group of people appointed by each state would choose the leader of the executive branch. Each state received a certain number of votes in proportion to its population, as determined by the census. The framers called this the Electoral College. The delegates also determined how representation in Congress would

    Read More

  • The Political History of Italy

    1883 Words  | 4 Pages

    The political history of Italy is quite extensive. The Greeks were the first to settle in Italy and established colonies in the southern part of the country and in Sicily. There was not a sense of political reality as much as there was a civilization (Windows on Italy- History). While the Greeks controlled the south the Gauls, or Celtic people, ruled the north and the Po Valley. But the most important group to settle in Italy was the Etruscans. Because of their advanced civilization, the Etruscans were the only ones to establish political and cultural ideas before the Roman Empire (Windows on Italy- History). At the end of the Etruscans rule, Rome began a unification of Italy and established Latin to be the general language (Defusco).

    Read More

  • Politics in Rome

    1305 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ambrose Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary states that “politics is the conduct of public affairs for private advantage.” This quote’s relevance is shown in numerous instances in Robert Harris’ book “Imperium”, which is narrated by the main character Cicero’s irreplaceable secretary Tiro. This sad yet inevitable truth is showcased throughout this novel by several characters which come and go in the plot of this historical courtroom drama. Several characters did either horrendous acts to the civilians they were representing or either plotted belittling political agendas to try and shape the future of the Roman Empire for centuries to come. These characters to be analyzed include: the former Sicilian governor Gaius Verres, prominent military men such as Pompey the Great and Crassus, along with a young and less powerful Julius Caesar, and the novel’s main character Marcus Cicero, as well as some of the pawns to these great political mind’s chess board. The field of politics attracts some of the greatest minds to ever walk this Earth, and brings these rather wise figures many privileges, but a clean pair of hands is seldom among these luxuries. This tale of private advantage in the public sector begins with the prosecution of Gaius Verres by Marcus Cicero in the extortion courts of Rome during Cicero’s early political days.

    Read More

  • Declaration Of Independence Dbq

    1236 Words  | 3 Pages

    It was established between the years of 1787 and 1788. The discussion was about the factions and how they were influencing the people. We have the Federalist, who wanted to ratify the Constitution. In his paper Federalist number 10, Madison clarifies the difference between a Republic and democracy. There are anti-Federalist who were strongly against the idea of a strong central government, and fearing that the government would abuse their power and neglect the rights of the people. The Federalist papers number 10 was more about the different factions that were present at that time. People were afraid of these factions, because they thought they would become too large and be in the majority instead of the minority. Factions could be controlled by a Republic. In other words, the larger the Republic, the less chance that a faction could be the majority. The largest faction at this time was the distribution of property which was in fact the rich landowners had powers over the poor at that time. As far as these special interest groups today, we know that we still have them just by looking around. We have the rich controlling most of the money in this country, and many times influencing the way people vote. They are also contributing money to those elected officials that they want to have control of this country. With all the checks and balances that are discussed in the next Federalist paper number 51, let see how that these factions are controlled by a series of checks and balances that we have instituted. There are three different agencies or parts of the Government, the executive branch, the legislative branch or Congress, and the judicial Supreme Court. These three separate parts of the government actually can control these factions are special interest groups before they can attain a majority in this Republic

    Read More

  • A Democratic Deficit in the EU

    1416 Words  | 3 Pages

    A Democratic Deficit in the EU The question over the legitimacy of the EU has been a nearly continuous debate and many commentators appear to agree that the EU suffers from a severe ‘democratic deficit’. There are many reasons why this perception is so widespread. As a multinational body it lacks the grounding in common history and culture upon which most individual polities can draw.

    Read More

  • Year Round School Year Research Paper

    1209 Words  | 3 Pages

    Our new country was in the process of designing an organized nation, one of the main points was

    Read More

  • Comparing US Democratic Republic, Roman Republic, and Athenian Democracy Governments

    633 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the past, different civilizations have been ruled by different forms of government. The U.S. Democratic Republic, the Roman Republic, and the Athenian Democracy have similar and different functions of how they run their government.

    Read More

  • Problems With American Democracy

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    More than two-hundred years ago, thirteen young nations defeated a tyrant thousands of miles away. The prize for such a victory was self-government. For the first time in human history, a nation had handed over supreme executive power to the masses. Exercising this power has become a hallmark of being an American. Even today it is thought of as one of the most patriotic acts one can undertake. The thought of a nation run by popular vote is a comfortable enough idea, but in the case of the United States, a self-governed population threatens to destroy itself and possibly the world through wasteful spending, unregulated pursuit of profits, and a blotted military budget.

    Read More

  • Negative Side Of Democracy

    1508 Words  | 4 Pages

    As President Franklin D. Roosevelt once put it, “Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country” (Roosevelt 1938). In their book, Running from Office, Lawless and Fox argue that a “high-quality, well-functioning democracy demands that the next generations hears – and then heeds – a call to public service” (3). While this assertion is certainly true to some degree, the real problems of democracy will arise when young people disengage themselves from politics altogether. Despite having low interest in running for office, young Americans still show significant interest

    Read More

  • Positive Effects Of Benito Mussolini's Reign In Italy

    593 Words  | 2 Pages

    The positive effects of Benito Mussolini’s reign in Italy benefitted the country greatly. By putting Cesare Mori in charge of eliminating the mafia, he caused 11,000 of Italy’s criminals to be arrested, which caused the country’s crime rates to plummet. The nearly absolute end of the mafia brought peace and order to Italy, which the country’s citizens desperately needed. He also defended his country’s interests by going against the allies for not giving Italy the land that was promised to them if they joined them in the first world war. Mussolini also upgraded infrastructure in Italy and improved the Italian economy.

    Read More

More about The Weaknesses of the Democratic Government in Italy

Open Document