The Ulivo: Death or Transfiguration?
in Italian Politics
The first part of this chapter deals with the context within which the
death and transfiguration of the Ulivo has taken place. It examines both
the social framework as well as policies in the various areas (international,
institutional, and socio-economic) in which the contest between
government and opposition unfolded. This first section, “The Berlusconi
Government: Friend or Foe?” illustrates the two sides of a dilemma
upon which the Italian left oscillates. We will use three policy areas—
institutions, war and peace, and socio-economic policy—to illustrate
how this fluctuation plays out. The second section, “The Ulivo in 2003,”
is divided into two parts. In the first (“Death of the Ulivo: Artemide and
Sergio Cofferati”), we will describe events that took place leading up to
the summer of 2003, when Romano Prodi presented his proposal for a
unified left and its acceptance by the Margherita, the DS, and the SDI.
The second part of this section (“The Single List and the Reformist
Party”) examines the initial developments in Prodi’s challenge and
assesses whether these will give rise to an effective “transfiguration.”