Memoriale per il '93

Memorial for 1993

Abstract disponibile solo in lingua inglese

In Italy, a democracy which, more than any other, has felt the tension of East-West conflict, the original role of parties as collectors and organisers of consensus rapidly degenerated into what is commonly referred to as partitocrazia, "partyocracy". Popular intolerance of the fact was reflected in the results of the general election of April 5, 1992. Since then, with the productive economy gritting its teeth in the face of crisis, another form of economy – that of corruption – has emerged in all its scandalous magnitude. There has been a great deal of theorising about long-awaited reforms but one essential fact – namely, that they were making their own way forward anyway as part of a spontaneous process – has not been taken into account. At this point, the demise of "partyocracy" should be seen for what it actually is – a sign not of decadence but of liberation. The fact that today a basically liberal majority has as its prime, compulsory objective the financial and moral rehabilitation of the state induces liberals all to rest their hopes in the "other Italy": the Italy of "the few" with an instinctive sense of liberty as opposed to security, who consider the state as a defender of rights and not a dispenser of favours, who accept limited as opposed to arrogant authority. It is necessary now to wager that this Italy of "the few" may become the Italy of the majority.