“The center-right Christian Democracy party (Democrazia Cristiana, or DC) dominated every Italian government from 1946 to 1994: fifty of them in less than fifty years. What seemed like constant chaos—a dizzying game of musical chairs, of crises and endlessly shifting, fragile coalitions—was in fact quite predictable, for when the music stopped the Christian Democrats were always left sitting at the head of the table.”
Alexander Stille’s review made me really curious about Mark Gilbert Italy Reborn: From Fascism to Democracy.
In school we learned about Germany’s Wirtschafswunder. But Italy’s recovery is just as much a 20th century miracle. Fascist dictators, communist kidnappings, mafiosi, corruption. And yet, the country came out reasonably well.
Any way, I’m halfway through, and Gilbert’s main focus is on the post WWII political scene. But that’s interesting enough!
Imagine living through an era where the political center is beset on both sides by extremists.