Abstract

If in 1988 a political scientist had to bet on the disintegration of the Soviet Union or on the return to power in Italy of the heirs of Mussolini's fascism, he would surely have opted for the former. While hardly predictable at the time, the collapse of communism was still considered possible — so much so that there was already considerable literature on the subject. But it was unthinkable that the Italian Social Movement (MSI) could become a legitimate governing force.Yet the Italian elections of March 27-28, 1994 paved the way for precisely such a development: supporters of the MSI, under the new name of “National Alliance” [Alleanza Nazionale (AN)], entered the Italian government in positions of considerable responsibility as the “governing Right.”