Italian general election, 1953

Italian general election, 1953
All 590 seats to the Italian Chamber of Deputies ; and 237 (of the 243) seats to the Italian Senate
Turnout	93.8%
	Election results maps for the Chamber of Deputies (on the left) and for the Senate (on the right). Light Blue denotes provinces with a Christian Democratic plurality, Red denotes those with a Communist plurality, Gray denotes those with an Autonomist plurality.
Prime Minister before election; Alcide De Gasperi ; Christian Democracy	New Prime Minister ; Alcide De Gasperi ; Christian Democracy

Last updated April 10, 2019

General elections were held in Italy on Sunday 7 June 1953, to choose the Second Republican Parliament.^[2] They were a test for leading centrist coalition ruled by Prime Minister Alcide De Gasperi.

Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe. Located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and the enclaved microstates San Marino and Vatican City. Italy covers an area of 301,340 km² (116,350 sq mi) and has a largely temperate seasonal and Mediterranean climate. With around 61 million inhabitants, it is the fourth-most populous EU member state and the most populous country in Southern Europe.

In politics, centrism—the centre or the center —is a political outlook or specific position that involves acceptance or support of a balance of a degree of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy, while opposing political changes which would result in a significant shift of society strongly to either the left or the right.

Alcide Amedeo Francesco De Gasperi was an Italian statesman who founded the Christian Democracy party.

The Scam Law

The election was characterized by changes in the electoral law. Even if the general structure remained uncorrupted, the government introduced a superbonus of two thirds of seats in the House for the coalition which would obtain at-large the absolute majority of votes. The change was hugely opposed by the opposition parties as well as the smaller DC coalition partners, which had no realistic chances of success. The new law was called Scam Law by its detractors,^[3] including some dissidents of minor government parties who founded special opposition groups to deny the artificial landslide to the Christian Democracy.

At-large is a designation for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent the whole membership of the body, rather than a subset of that membership. At-large voting is in contrast to voting by electoral districts.

A majority is the greater part, or more than half, of the total. It is a subset of a set consisting of more than half of the set's elements.

The term landslide or, less frequently, landslip, refers to several forms of mass wasting that include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated slope failures, mudflows and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of environments, characterized by either steep or gentle slope gradients: from mountain ranges to coastal cliffs or even underwater, in which case they are called submarine landslides. Gravity is the primary driving force for a landslide to occur, but there are other factors affecting slope stability which produce specific conditions that make a slope prone to failure. In many cases, the landslide is triggered by a specific event, although this is not always identifiable.

Historical background

In the 1950s Italy became a founding member of the NATO alliance (1949), a member of the United Nations (1955) and an ally of the United States, which helped to revive the Italian economy through the Marshall Plan. In the same years, Italy also became a founding member of the ECSC (1952) and of the European Economic Community (1957), later developed into the European Union. At the end of the 1950s an impressive economic growth was termed "Economic Miracle". Italian families used their newfound wealth to purchase consumer durables for the first time. Between 1958 and 1965, the percentage of families owning a television rose from 12% to 49%, washing machines from 3% to 23%, and fridges from 13% to 55%.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 29 North American and European countries. The organization implements the North Atlantic Treaty that was signed on 4 April 1949. NATO constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its independent member states agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party. NATO's Headquarters are located in Haren, Brussels, Belgium, while the headquarters of Allied Command Operations is near Mons, Belgium.

The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization that was tasked to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international co-operation and be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations. The headquarters of the UN is in Manhattan, New York City, and is subject to extraterritoriality. Further main offices are situated in Geneva, Nairobi, and Vienna. The organization is financed by assessed and voluntary contributions from its member states. Its objectives include maintaining international peace and security, protecting human rights, delivering humanitarian aid, promoting sustainable development and upholding international law. The UN is the largest, most familiar, most internationally represented and most powerful intergovernmental organization in the world. In 24 October 1945, at the end of World War II, the organization was established with the aim of preventing future wars. At its founding, the UN had 51 member states; there are now 193. The UN is the successor of the ineffective League of Nations.

The Marshall Plan was an American initiative passed in 1948 to aid Western Europe, in which the United States gave over $12 billion in economic assistance to help rebuild Western European economies after the end of World War II. Replacing the previous Morgenthau Plan, it operated for four years beginning on April 3, 1948. The goals of the United States were to rebuild war-torn regions, remove trade barriers, modernize industry, improve European prosperity, and prevent the spread of Communism. The Marshall Plan required a lessening of interstate barriers, a dropping of many regulations, and encouraged an increase in productivity, as well as the adoption of modern business procedures.

Christian Democracy's main support areas (sometimes known as "vote tanks") were the rural areas in South, Center and North-East Italy, whereas the industrial North-West had more left-leaning support because of the larger working class. An interesting exception were the "red regions" (Emilia Romagna, Tuscany, Umbria) where the Italian Communist Party has historically had a wide support. This is considered a consequence of the particular sharecropping ("mezzadria") farming contracts used in these regions.

Christian Democracy was a Christian democratic political party in Italy.

Tuscany is a region in central Italy with an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants (2013). The regional capital is Florence (Firenze).

Umbria is a region of central Italy. It includes Lake Trasimeno and Marmore Falls, and is crossed by the River Tiber. The regional capital is Perugia. Umbria is known for its landscapes, traditions, history, culinary delights, artistic legacy, and influence on culture.

The Holy See actively supported the Christian Democracy, judging it would be a mortal sin for a Catholic to vote for the Communist party and excommunicating all its supporters. In practice, however, many Communists remained religious: Emilia was known to be an area where people were both religious and communists. Giovanni Guareschi wrote his novels about Don Camillo describing a village, Brescello, whose inhabitants are at the same time loyal to priest Camillo and communist mayor Peppone, who are fierce rivals.

The Holy See, also called the See of Rome, is the apostolic episcopal see of the bishop of Rome, known as the Pope, ex cathedra the universal ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the worldwide Catholic Church, and a sovereign entity of international law. Founded in the 1st century by Saints Peter and Paul, by virtue of Petrine and Papal primacy according to Catholic tradition, it is the focal point of full communion for Catholic bishops and Catholics around the world organised in polities of the Latin Church, the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches, and their dioceses and religious institutes.

A mortal sin, in Catholic theology, is a gravely sinful act, which can lead to damnation if a person does not repent of the sin before death. A sin is considered to be "mortal" when its quality is such that it leads to a separation of that person from God's saving grace. This type of sin should be distinguished from a venial sin that simply leads to a weakening of a person's relationship with God. Despite its gravity, a person can repent of having committed a mortal sin. Such repentance is the primary requisite for forgiveness and absolution. Teaching on absolution from serious sins has varied somewhat throughout history. The current Catholic teaching was formalized at the 16th century Council of Trent.

Don Camillo[ˈdɔŋ kaˈmillo] is a character created by the Italian writer and journalist Giovannino Guareschi, whose name, and some of his character, is based on an actual Roman Catholic priest, World War II partisan and detainee at the concentration camps of Dachau and Mauthausen, named Don Camillo Valota (1912–1998). Guareschi was also inspired by Don Alessandro Parenti, a priest of Trepalle, near the Swiss border. The fictional Don Camillo is one of two main protagonists of Guareschi's short stories, the other being the communist mayor of the town, Peppone. The stories are set in what Guareschi refers to as the "small world" of rural Italy after World War II.

In 1953, a Parliamentary Commission on poverty estimated that 24% of Italian families were either “destitute” or “in hardship,” 21% of dwellings were overcrowded, 52% of homes in the south had no running drinking water, and only 57% had a lavatory.^[4] In the 1950s, several important reforms were launched: e.g. agrarian reform (legge Scelba), fiscal reform (legge Vanoni), and the country enjoyed a period of extraordinary economic development (miracolo economico, economic miracle). In this period of time, a massive population transfer, from the impoverished South to the booming industrial North, took place. This however exacerbated social contrasts, including between the old-established "worker aristocracy" and the new less qualified immigrants ("operaio-massa") of Southern origin. In addition, a wide gap between rich and poor continued to exist. By the end of the Sixties, it was estimated that 4 million Italians (out of a population of 54.5 million) were unemployed, underemployed, and casual labourers. As noted by the historian Paul Ginsborg, the affluent society to this section of the Italian population “might have meant a television set but precious little else.”

Parties and leaders

	Ideology	Leader
Christian Democracy (DC)	Christian democracy	Alcide De Gasperi
Italian Communist Party (PCI)	Communism	Palmiro Togliatti
Italian Socialist Party (PSI)	Democratic socialism	Pietro Nenni
Monarchist National Party (PNM)	Conservatism	Alfredo Covelli
Italian Social Movement (MSI)	Neo-fascism	Augusto De Marsanich
Italian Democratic Socialist Party (PSDI)	Social democracy	Giuseppe Saragat
Italian Liberal Party (PLI)	Conservative liberalism	Bruno Villabruna
Italian Republican Party (PRI)	Social liberalism	Oronzo Reale

Results

The complaint campaign of the oppositions against the Scam Law reached its goal. The Centrist coalition (DC, PSDI, PLI, PRI, SVP, PSAZ) was stopped at an incredible 49.9% of national vote, resulting in the ordinary proportional distribution of the seats. Minor dissident parties resulted determinant for the final result, especially the short-lived National Democratic Alliance. Leading party Christian Democracy did not repeat the extraordinary result of five years before, which had been obtained under special conditions linked to the Cold War, and lost a lot of votes to the right wing, which included resurgent fascist politicians particularly in Southern Italy.

Technically, the government won the election, reaching the majority of seats in both houses. But the frustration for the lack of the expected result caused big problems to the leading coalition. De Gasperi was forced to resign by the Parliament on August 2: the Trentin statesman consequently retired and died twelve months later. The legislature continued with weak governments, with minor parties refusing institutional responsibilities. Giuseppe Pella rose to power, but fell after five months only, following strong disputes about the status of the Free Territory of Trieste which Pella was claiming. Amintore Fanfani not receiving a vote of confidence, Mario Scelba and Antonio Segni followed with more traditional centrist coalitions supported by PSDI and PLI: under the administration of the first one, the problem of Trieste was closed ceding Koper to Yugoslavia. The parliamentary term was closed by the minority government chaired by Adone Zoli, finishing a legislature which hugely weakened the office of the Prime Minister, held by six different rulers.

Chamber of Deputies

← Summary of the 18 April 1953 Chamber of Deputies election results →
Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/−

	Christian Democracy	10,862,073	40.10	263	−41
	Italian Communist Party	6,120,809	22.60	143	+13
	Italian Socialist Party	3,441,014	12.70	75	+22
	Monarchist National Party	1,854,850	6.85	40	+26
	Italian Social Movement	1,582,154	5.84	29	+23
	Italian Democratic Socialist Party	1,222,957	4.51	19	−14
	Italian Liberal Party	815,929	3.01	13	−6
	Italian Republican Party	438,149	1.62	5	−4
	Independent Socialist Unity	225,409	0.83	0	New
	Popular Unity	171,099	0.63	0	New
	South Tyrolean People's Party	122,474	0.45	3	±0
	National Democratic Alliance	120,685	0.45	0	New
	Sardinian Action Party	27,231	0.10	0	−1
	Others	82,886	0.31	0	±0
Invalid/blank votes		1,318,778	–	–	–
Total		28,406,479	100	590	+16
Registered voters/turnout		30,272,236	93.84	–	–
Source: Ministry of the Interior

Popular vote

DC			40.10%
PCI			22.60%
PSI			12.70%
PNM			6.85%
MSI			5.84%
PSDI			4.51%
PLI			3.01%
PRI			1.62%
Others			2.77%

Seats

DC			44.85%
PCI			24.24%
PSI			12.71%
PNM			6.78%
MSI			4.92%
PSDI			3.22%
PLI			2.20%
PRI			0.85%
Others			0.81%

Senate of the Republic

← Summary of the 18 April 1953 Senate of the Republic election results →
Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/−

	Christian Democracy	9,660,210	39.76	112	−19
	Italian Communist Party	4,910,077	20.21	52	+6
	Italian Socialist Party	2,891,605	11.90	26	−15
	Monarchist National Party	1,581,128	6.51	14	+10
	Italian Social Movement	1,473,645	6.07	9	+8
	Italian Democratic Socialist Party	1,046,301	4.31	4	−4
	Italian Liberal Party	695,816	2.86	3	−4
	Italian Republican Party	261,713	1.08	0	−4
	Popular Unity	172,545	0.71	0	New
	National Democratic Alliance	165,845	0.68	1	New
	South Tyrolean People's Party	107,139	0.44	2	±0
	Others	1,330,253	5.48	14	±0
Invalid/blank votes		1,173,850	–	–	–
Total		25,483,201	100	237	±0
Registered voters/turnout		27,172,871	93.8	–	–
Source: Ministry of the Interior

Popular vote

DC			39.76%
PCI			20.21%
PSI			11.90%
PNM			6.51%
MSI			6.07%
PSDI			4.31%
PLI			2.86%
PRI			1.08%
Others			7.30%

Seats

DC			47.26%
PCI			21.94%
PSI			10.97%
PNM			5.91%
MSI			3.80%
PSDI			1.69%
PLI			1.27%
Others			5.06%

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References

1 2 3 4 Due to impossibility of direct confrontation cause the end of the political alliance which linked the Communists and the Socialists during the previous election of 1948, unofficial swing was calculated using the strength ratio (130:53) between the communist group and the socialist group in the House after the division.
↑ Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1048 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
↑ Also its parliamentarian exam had a disruptive effect: "Among the iron pots of political forces that faced in the Cold War, Senate cracked as earthenware pot": Buonomo, Giampiero (2014). "Come il Senato si scoprì vaso di coccio". L’Ago e il filo. – via Questia (subscription required)
↑ Italy: Library of Nations: Italy, Time-Life Books, 1985

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[alliance-1] 1 2 3 4 Due to impossibility of direct confrontation cause the end of the political alliance which linked the Communists and the Socialists during the previous election of 1948, unofficial swing was calculated using the strength ratio (130:53) between the communist group and the socialist group in the House after the division.

[NS-2] Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1048 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7

[3] Also its parliamentarian exam had a disruptive effect: "Among the iron pots of political forces that faced in the Cold War, Senate cracked as earthenware pot": Buonomo, Giampiero (2014). "Come il Senato si scoprì vaso di coccio". L’Ago e il filo. – via Questia (subscription required)

[ReferenceB-4] Italy: Library of Nations: Italy, Time-Life Books, 1985

v t e Elections and referendums in Italy
General elections	1861 1865 1867 1870 1874 1876 1880 1882 1886 1890 1892 1895 1897 1900 1904 1909 1913 1919 1921 1924 1929 1934 1946 1948 1953 1958 1963 1968 1972 1976 1979 1983 1987 1992 1994 1996 2001 2006 2008 2013 2018 next
European elections	1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019
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Referendums	1946 1974 1978 1981 1985 1987 1989 1990 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2000 2001 2003 2005 2006 2009 2011 2016 (Apr) 2016 (Dec)
See also: Elections in Abruzzo Aosta Valley Apulia Basilicata Calabria Campania Emilia-Romagna Friuli-Venezia Giulia Lazio Liguria Lombardy Marche Molise Piedmont Sardinia Sicily Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol Tuscany Umbria Veneto