North South Impact in Italy

Describe the long-term impact of the North-South divide over the development of party systems in Italy from 1861 to 1992"

The North-South divide in Italy is nothing new. For over 100 years these regions have been divided over politics, social development and literacy, among others. In the past half century or so there have been efforts to lessen the gap between the two regions but there still lies a significant boundary between them. Education, literacy, voting, property rights, and social development are all problems southern Italians have faced, especially as a result of the north-south divide.

Before World War I the liberal ideology dominated the political scene. Because of voting restrictions, there was no opportunity for any other political party to take hold. Only 2% of the Italian population could vote because of the qualifications concerning education and land. Most of the 2% that could vote, resided in the North. The PSI and the PPI which had become increasingly popular in the North never had the opportunity to popularize in the south until universal male suffrage in 1918 for men over 21 years of age. This created an easy environment for Fascism to take hold in the south that plagued Italy between World War I and World War II.

The Fascist regime took hold in the south because of the revolutionary nature of its electorate opposed to the moderate nature of the voters in the north. The popularity of fascism in Italy caused the multiparty system to break down and the dominance fascism to emerge. Post World War I, with a new voting population and not much guidance, fascism was easily integrated into the south. After World War II, the multiparty system was resorted and so began the “scramble for the south.” With a large voting population with minimal political ties because of new enfranchisement, it was easy for these parties to attract new voters. The PSI failed to attract many laborers but the PCI became increasingly popular in the South. In time the PCI...