At the beginning of the 20th century this constitutional Monarchy evolved into a parliamentary Monarchy.

Italy was first united as a Constitutional Monarchy in 1861 through the Albertine statute.

In Italy the transition from dictatorship to Democracy coincidedwith the transition from Monarchy to Republic.

ITALIAN MONARCHY

After the “March on Rome” in October 1922 the King appointed Benito Mussolini Prime Minister.

The Grand Council of the Fascist Party became the supreme deliberative body.

FASCISM

On 3 January 1925 the “fascistissime laws” were passed increasing government authority and abolishing the principle of the division of powers.

In 1938 racial laws came into force in Italy.

THE WAR

On 10 June 1940 Mussolini decided to side with Hitler's Germany.

The war lasted six very long years and the Italian population suffered much from the horrors of the conflict.

Opposition to the regime became stronger and brought about the collapse of the fascist dictatorship.

On 25 July 1943 the Grand Council asked Mussolini to resign and he was then arrested.

King Vittorio Emanuele III appointed Marshal Pietro Badoglio as head of the government.

Badoglio's government abolished the fascist party.

THE END OF FASCISM

THE ARMISTICE

Badoglio's government began

negotiations with the Anglo-Americans

who had landed in Sicily.

On 3 September 1943 an armistice was

signed in Cassibile (Syracuse). The

Armistice divided Italy into two parts:

- the centre-north where the Germans, the resistance

and the Italian Social Republic were active

- the south referred to as the Kingdom of the South

under the protection of the Allies.

THE ITALIAN SOCIAL REPUBLIC

On 12 September 1943 the Germans released Mussolini

and founded the Italian Social Republic, based in Salo.

The Republic of Salò continued the war alongside the

Germans.

THE CLN AND RESISTANCE

After the armistice the northern anti-fascist parties founded the National Liberation Committee (CLN).

The CLN became the political and military reference point for the partisans.

The partisans organized military resistance against the Germans and the “Republichini” (fascists)

THE SALERNO PACT

On 24 April 1944 the King and the CLN signed the Salerno Pact .

In the South, the CLN parties formed the new government.

The decision on Monarchy or Republic was postponed to the end of the war.

A Constituent Assembly, elected by universal suffrage, was to draft a new Constitution.

THE LIBERATION

On 25 April 1945 the North of Italy was liberated thanks to the joint actions of the Allies and the CLN.

The war came to an end on 25 April 1945 with the liberation of Milan.

On 28 April 1945 a group of partisans executed Mussolini.

INSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM

The choice between Monarchy and Republic was left to a popular Referendum which was held on 2 June 1946.

The referendum gave victory to the Republic and so the new Italian state took the form of a Republic with the values of resistance as the basis of its democracy.

THE ITALIAN CONSTITUTION

REPUBLIC AND DEMOCRACY

On 2 June 1946, at the same time as the referendum, a Constituent Assembly was elected.

It met for the first time on 22 June 1946 and appointed the “Board of seventy-five”.

On 22 December 1947 the Constituent assembly approved a new constitution for which came into force on 1 January 1948.

The Italian Republic was born.

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