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Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Tables
- List of Figures
- Preface
- 1 The influence of election programmes: Britain and Canada 1945–1979.
- 2 The internal analysis of election programmes.
- 3 Britain, Australia, New Zealand and the United States 1946–1981, an initial comparative analysis.
- 4 Canada 1945–1980: party platforms and campaign strategies.
- 5 Sri Lanka 1947–1977: elite programmes and mass politics.
- 6 Israel 1949–1981.
- 7 Ireland 1948–1981: issues, parties, strategies.
- 8 Northern Ireland 1921–1973: party manifestos and platforms.
- 9 Sweden and Denmark 1945–1982: election programmes in the Scandinavian setting.
- 10 The Netherlands 1946–1981.
- 11 Belgium 1946–1981.
- 12 Luxembourg 1945–1982: dimensions and strategies.
- 13 Austria 1945–1978.
- 14 Electoral programmes in West Germany 1949–1980: explorations in the nature of political controversy.
- 15 France 1958–1981: the strategy of joint government platforms.
- 16 Italy 1946–1979: ideological distances and party movements.
- 17 Japan 1960–1980: party programmes in elections.
- 18 Do parties differ, and how? Comparative discriminant and factor analyses.
- Appendices
- General bibliography
- Index
16 - Italy 1946–1979: ideological distances and party movements.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 October 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Tables
- List of Figures
- Preface
- 1 The influence of election programmes: Britain and Canada 1945–1979.
- 2 The internal analysis of election programmes.
- 3 Britain, Australia, New Zealand and the United States 1946–1981, an initial comparative analysis.
- 4 Canada 1945–1980: party platforms and campaign strategies.
- 5 Sri Lanka 1947–1977: elite programmes and mass politics.
- 6 Israel 1949–1981.
- 7 Ireland 1948–1981: issues, parties, strategies.
- 8 Northern Ireland 1921–1973: party manifestos and platforms.
- 9 Sweden and Denmark 1945–1982: election programmes in the Scandinavian setting.
- 10 The Netherlands 1946–1981.
- 11 Belgium 1946–1981.
- 12 Luxembourg 1945–1982: dimensions and strategies.
- 13 Austria 1945–1978.
- 14 Electoral programmes in West Germany 1949–1980: explorations in the nature of political controversy.
- 15 France 1958–1981: the strategy of joint government platforms.
- 16 Italy 1946–1979: ideological distances and party movements.
- 17 Japan 1960–1980: party programmes in elections.
- 18 Do parties differ, and how? Comparative discriminant and factor analyses.
- Appendices
- General bibliography
- Index
Summary
INTRODUCTION
The 1983 legislative elections aggravated Italy's crisis of governability. The Christian Democrats who as the largest party had dominated successive post-war governments, suffered a startling decline in support. Yet, this was not sufficient to produce a major change within the political system. The parties that gained most from Christian Democrat decline were their traditional coalition partners, the small centre parties. This was sufficient to gain a Socialist the premiership, but not to turn a Socialist-led ‘third force’ into a credible alternative to Catholicism or Communism. Of the opposition forces, the Communists, long excluded from government (save on a marginal basis in 1978–9), managed to hold their levels of support constant. But they are no nearer than before to participation in government. The neo-fascists (Italian Social Movement) increased their vote drastically. However, they are so marginalized within the political system that this is nowhere near large enough to alter the balance of power. Thus, the centre-left coalition continues as the most likely pattern until the next elections. Arid the political system continues to face a stalemate.
The basic absence of change should not obscure the fact that party votes during the 1970s and 1980s have been more variable than in earlier years. Why? In the past votes were determined by custom or clientelistic systems. Certain regions, such as the North-East and the Centre have become closely identified with Catholic and Socialist/Communist support respectively. In the South, clientelism has been a more important determinant.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Ideology, Strategy and Party ChangeSpatial Analyses of Post-War Election Programmes in 19 Democracies, pp. 345 - 368Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1987
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