The Inquiry How did Italian politics become stable?
11 snips
Sep 22, 2026 
Lorenzo Pregliasco, a polling analyst and University of Bologna professor; Nathalie Tocci, a European foreign-policy scholar; and Rosario Forlenza, a historian of Italian democracy, explore Italy’s surprising political durability. They trace the fall of old parties, the rise of Berlusconi and Giorgia Meloni, Meloni’s strategic opposition years, coalition constraints, migration, ties with Europe, and whether voters will sustain this new stability.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Italy Designed Power To Prevent Another Mussolini
- Postwar Italy rebuilt democracy by dispersing executive power across parliament, parties, and institutions.
- The constitution reflected fear that another leader might concentrate authority as Mussolini had.
Cold War Politics Created Italy’s Revolving Door
- Cold War fears kept the Communists from government, leaving Christian Democrats permanently dominant but dependent on smaller coalition partners.
- Minor disagreements could change ministers or coalition formulas without changing the governing majority.
Clean Hands Cleared The Way For Berlusconi
- The Clean Hands corruption investigation destroyed Italy’s established ruling parties in the early 1990s.
- Silvio Berlusconi then used his television networks and personal image to pioneer modern right-wing populism.