List of political parties in Italy facts for kids

This article is about the many political parties in Italy since the country became united in 1861.

In Italy, many different political parties have existed throughout history. Since World War II, no single party has ever been strong enough to rule alone. Because of this, parties often team up to form political alliances and coalition governments. This means they work together to lead the country.

In the most recent national election in 2022, four main groups got most of the votes and seats in the Italian Parliament. These groups were:

• The "centre-right coalition", which includes the Brothers of Italy, Lega, Forza Italia, and some smaller friends.
• The "centre-left coalition", made up of the Democratic Party and its smaller partners.
• The Five Star Movement, which is a populist party.
• The liberal Action – Italia Viva group, also called the "Third Pole".

Sometimes, the groups of parties that work together for regional elections can be a bit different from those in national elections. This is because regions have their own special situations. Also, there are many regional parties that only work in certain parts of Italy.

How Italy's Parties Changed Over Time

The first modern political party in Italy was the Italian Socialist Party, created in 1892. Before that, the main political groups, like the Historical Right and the Historical Left, were more like clubs of important people. They would join together based on their ideas. Later, other parties like the Italian Republican Party (1895) and the Italian Radical Party (1904) also appeared.

The Italian Socialist Party was a new kind of party, called a "mass party." These parties aimed to get support from many ordinary people, and they became very common in the 1900s. The Italian People's Party was formed in 1919. Both of these parties became very popular. They helped weaken the old ruling class, who hadn't formed strong parties themselves.

In 1921, the Communist Party of Italy was created when some members left the Italian Socialist Party. Also in 1921, Benito Mussolini started the National Fascist Party. The next year, Mussolini became Prime Minister after a big march on Rome. By 1926, new laws meant that only the National Fascist Party was allowed to exist. It was the only legal party in Italy until 1943.

After the fascist government fell in 1943, six anti-fascist parties formed the National Liberation Committee. These parties were the Christian Democracy, the Italian Socialist Party, the Italian Communist Party, the Italian Liberal Party, the Action Party, and the Labour Democratic Party. They worked together to fight against fascism. These parties then formed Italy's governments from 1944 until 1947.

In 1946, Italy voted in a referendum to become a republic instead of a kingdom. A special group then wrote the new Constitution. From 1948 to 1992, two main parties were very powerful: the Christian Democracy, which usually led the government, and the Italian Communist Party, which was the main opposition. The post-fascist Italian Social Movement was also a strong opposition party.

For about 50 years, the Christian Democracy party led the governments. They chose smaller parties to work with, such as the Italian Socialist Party and the Italian Liberal Party. In the 1980s, these parties formed governments together called Pentapartito. During this time, several parties in northern Italy started to focus on ideas like federalism, which means giving more power to regions. In 1991, these parties joined to form Lega Nord. This party became the fourth largest in the 1992 election.

Between 1992 and 1994, a series of corruption scandals, known as Tangentopoli, shook up the political system. Many of the old ruling parties disappeared. The Italian Communist Party, which had changed its name to the Democratic Party of the Left in 1991, and the post-fascist parties, which became National Alliance in 1994, grew stronger. The Christian Democracy party, which changed its name to the Italian People's Party in 1994, lost its central role. After the 1994 election, Silvio Berlusconi, a media businessman, became Prime Minister. His new party, Forza Italia, joined with National Alliance and Lega Nord to form the government.

From 1996 to 2008, Italian politics was mostly about two big groups of parties. On the centre-right, there was the Pole for Freedoms, later called the House of Freedoms. On the centre-left, there was The Olive Tree, which became part of a larger group called The Union. In 2007, many centre-left parties merged to form the Democratic Party. On the centre-right, Forza Italia and National Alliance merged to create The People of Freedom in 2009. This new party continued to work with Lega Nord.

In the 2013 election, the political scene became more divided. There was the centre-left group led by the Democratic Party, and the traditional centre-right group. This centre-right group included The People of Freedom, Lega Nord, and the new Brothers of Italy party. Also, Beppe Grillo's Five Star Movement became very popular. In 2013, Berlusconi brought back the name Forza Italia.

In the 2018 election, the main groups were the centre-right coalition (with Lega, Forza Italia, and Brothers of Italy), the Five Star Movement (which got the most votes as a single party), and the centre-left coalition led by the Democratic Party. In the 2022 election, the centre-right coalition won a clear majority. This led to a government led by Giorgia Meloni, the leader of Brothers of Italy. The opposition was split into three parts: the Democratic Party-led centre-left, the Five Star Movement, and a centrist group called Action and Italia Viva.

Active Parties

Parties represented in the Italian or European Parliament

Parties represented within other parties in the Italian or European Parliament

Parties represented only in Regional Councils

Countrywide parties

Regional parties

Non-represented parties

Countrywide parties

Regional and local parties

Overseas parties

• South American Union of Italian Emigrants (est. 2006)

Defunct Parties

Over Italy's history, many political parties have formed and then disappeared. Some of these parties were very important in their time, while others were smaller. Here are a few examples of parties that no longer exist but once played a role in Italian politics:

• The National Fascist Party (1921–1943) was the only legal party during the fascist period.
• The Christian Democracy (1943–1994) was a very powerful party for many years after World War II.
• The Italian Communist Party (1921–1991) was the main opposition party for a long time.
• Forza Italia (1994–2009) was founded by Silvio Berlusconi and was a major force in the centre-right.
• The People of Freedom (2009–2013) was a large centre-right party formed by a merger of Forza Italia and National Alliance.

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Partidos políticos de Italia para niños

• List of political coalitions in Italy
• List of parliamentary groups in Italy
• List of political parties by region
• Table of political parties in Europe by pancontinental organisation