This book examines the political developments in Italy in 1996. It discusses the general elections of April, the new placement of Left, Center-Left, and Lega Nord, the Scalfaro presidency, the Andreotti trials, Italian involvement in the European Union, and the politics of intervention in Bosnia.

1 Introduction: A Year of Difficult Dialogue, 2 The General Elections of 21 April 1996, 3 Forza Italia: Old Problems Linger On, 4 The Lega Nord: From Federalism to Secession, 5 The Italian Left After the 1996 Elections, 6 Majoritarian and Proportional Electoral Systems: The Sicilian Case, 7 The Government of the Ulivo, 8 The Majoritarian System, Act II: Parliament and Parliamentarians in 1996, 9 The Scalfaro Presidency in 1996: The Difficult Return to Normality, 10 Politics and Consumption: The Four Revolutions of Spectator Football, 11 Italian Intervention in Bosnia and the (Slow) Redefinition of Defense Policy, 12 Statesman or Godfather? The Andreotti Trials, 13 The Italian Presidency of the European Union