Reconstruction, 1945 to about 1950
Reconstruction means building a country again after a war. In 1945 Italy had broken factories, bridges and railways, and food was short.
- Republic (1946): in a referendum (a vote on one question) Italians chose a Republic instead of a king. Women voted across the country for the first time.
- Constitution (1948): a new set of basic rules gave citizens equal rights and set up a parliament, a president and a court to check the laws.
- Marshall Plan: the United States sent money, food and machines to Western Europe. Italy used them to rebuild.
- Cold War side: Italy joined Western alliances, and in 1957 it helped start the European common market.
The economic boom, about 1950 to 1963
The economic boom (called the "economic miracle") was a time when factory output and incomes grew very fast.
- Why it grew: cheap and willing workers, new machines, open European markets, and cheap oil for energy.
- Move to the north: millions left poor villages, mostly in the south, for factory cities like Turin and Milan.
- New life: many homes got a scooter, a fridge, a washing machine or a TV. Cars like the small Fiat 500 became common.
- Problems: crowded housing, a gap between north and south, and lonely new city life.
Reforms of the 1960s and 1970s
Students, workers and women asked for fairer rules, especially after the "hot autumn" strikes of 1969. Parliament answered with many laws.
- School (1962): one middle school for every child, so poor children could continue to study.
- Work and regions (1970): a Workers Statute protected jobs and unions, and regions got their own governments.
- Family and rights: a divorce law in 1970, which voters kept in a 1974 referendum, and later changes in family law.
- Health (1978): a national health service for everyone, and a law that closed old mental hospitals and moved care into communities.
Terrorism: the "years of lead"
Terrorism means using violence on ordinary people to frighten a society. From about 1969 into the 1980s small extreme groups did this.
- Two sides: some groups were on the far right, some on the far left. They wanted to change the country by fear, not by votes.
- Well-known events: a bank bomb in Milan (1969), the kidnapping and death of politician Aldo Moro (1978) and a bomb at Bologna station (1980).
- Answer: police and courts, new laws, and huge peaceful marches by workers and students. The state survived and violence faded in the 1980s.
Tangentopoli and the 1990s political crisis
Tangentopoli means "Bribe City". Companies paid secret bribes to politicians to win public contracts, and parties used the money.
- Clean Hands (1992): judges in Milan arrested a manager caught with a bribe, then followed the trail to hundreds of leaders.
- Result: by 1993 and 1994 the two biggest old parties had broken up. Voters turned to new parties and a new voting law.
- Lesson: independent judges, a free press and angry voters can clean up a system, but trust takes years to come back.
Key formulas and definitions
- Referendum = a direct vote by all citizens on one question
- Constitution = the basic rules of a country, above ordinary laws
- Marshall Plan = US aid that helped rebuild Western Europe after 1945
- Economic boom = very fast growth of factories and incomes (Italy: about 1950 to 1963)
- Tangentopoli = "Bribe City", the bribe system uncovered in 1992
- Terrorism = violence on ordinary people to spread fear for a political aim
Worked examples
1. Explain in 3 points why Italy could grow so fast in the 1950s.
1) Aid and loans, such as the Marshall Plan, rebuilt factories and roads. 2) There were many willing workers, especially people moving from the south. 3) New European markets and cheap oil let factories sell and run cheaply.
2. Name two reforms of the 1970s and say who gained from each.
The Workers Statute (1970) gave workers more job protection and union rights. The national health service (1978) gave every person care, including poor families who could not pay doctors before.
3. How was the Italian answer to terrorism different from fear?
The state used police and courts, but also ordinary people took part in huge peaceful marches. Both showed that most citizens rejected violence and trusted the law more than the attackers.
Common mistakes
- Thinking the Republic began with a war. It began with a peaceful referendum in 1946.
- Thinking the boom helped everyone equally. The north gained faster, and many southern families had to move away.
- Mixing up terrorism and Tangentopoli. One was violence by extreme groups (1969 to 1980s); the other was a bribe system exposed in 1992.
- Thinking Clean Hands was started by politicians. It was started by independent judges.