10. Conclusions

During the last 70 years the Italian political system has gone through a number of important changes that have transformed the nature of Italian politics. At the beginning there was the confrontation between the Christian Democrats and the Communists over the country’s socio-economic model—liberal or managed economy—and the nature of the country’s international stance: neutral or pro-West, for or against NATO, for or against the European Coal and Steel Community and the Common Market. That confrontation was eventually settled in favour of a Western affiliation based on a parliamentary regime that has ruled the country in a steady and peaceful manner that has not seen attempts at coups, revolts or widespread disorder. The terrorist threat during the 1970s and 1980s was handled through the regular courts without recourse to extra-judicial actions. In the same manner, organized crime has been handled in a way that has reinforced judicial procedures rather than destroying them