1946 in Italy
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Events from the year 1946 in Italy.
Incumbents
[edit]- King – Umberto II (9 May – 12 June)[1][2]
- Head of State (Provisional) – Enrico De Nicola (from 28 June 1946)[3]
- Prime Minister – Alcide De Gasperi (10 December 1945 – 13 July 1946 for the first government; 13 July 1946 – 2 February 1947 for the second government)[4][5]
Events
[edit]- 16 March – The Italian government, led by Prime Minister Alcide De Gasperi, officially set 2 June 1946 as the date for both the institutional referendum on the monarchy and the election of a Constituent Assembly.[6]
- 25 April – The first anniversary of the Liberation of Italy was celebrated, commemorating the end of Fascist rule in northern Italy in 1945.[7]
- 29 April – Premier De Gasperi telegraphed the "Big Four" Foreign Ministers meeting in Paris to protest that Italy's fate was being settled without allowing Italian statesmen to be heard. He requested that Italian experts be allowed to present their case before committees dealing with naval and financial questions, invoking the Allies' proclamations of "democratic methods of consultation".[8]
- 9 May – King Victor Emmanuel III abdicated in favour of his son, who became Umberto II.[1]
- 2 June – The 1946 Italian institutional referendum and the elections for the Constituent Assembly were held. It was the first free election in Italy after the fall of the Fascist regime and the first national vote in which Italian women were allowed to vote. Voter turnout was 89.1% of the 28,005,449 eligible voters.[9][10]
- 5 June – The Ministry of the Interior announced the provisional results of the institutional referendum, showing a majority in favor of the Republic. Vice Premier Pietro Nenni announced that the cabinet met to "plan the king's departure."[2][9]
- 10 June – The Supreme Court of Cassation announced the provisional results of the referendum at Palazzo Montecitorio. Based on reports received, the Court announced 12,672,767 votes for the republic and 10,688,905 for the monarchy, with 118 precincts not yet reported.[11][12]
- 12 June – The royal standard was lowered from the Quirinal Palace. The monarchy formally ended, and Umberto II left the country for exile in Portugal the next day.[13]
- 18 June – The Supreme Court of Cassation definitively confirmed the results of the referendum: 12,718,641 votes (54.3%) for the Republic and 10,718,502 (45.7%) for the Monarchy.[12]
- 28 June – The newly elected Constituent Assembly elected Enrico De Nicola as the provisional Head of State with 396 votes out of 504.[3]
- 1 July – Enrico De Nicola assumed the office of Provisional Head of State.[14]
- 13 July – The Second De Gasperi government was formed, the first government of the Italian Republic. The Cabinet included eight Christian Democrats, four Communists, four Socialists, two Republicans and one independent.[4]
- 29 July – 15 October – The Paris Peace Conference was held. De Gasperi delivered a speech on 10 August defending Italy's position in the post-war settlement, criticizing the proposed terms regarding Trieste and the Julian March.[15]
- 10 November – Municipal elections were held in Rome, Turin, Genoa, Florence, Naples and Palermo. The Christian Democrats suffered significant defeats, with some observers forecasting a cabinet crisis.[16]
- December – Work began in earnest on the new Italian Constitution within the Constituent Assembly, a process that would continue into the following year.[17]
Constituent Assembly election results
[edit]The 1946 election for the Constituent Assembly resulted in the following composition for the 556-seat assembly, with 535 elected from Italy (the remainder were from special constituencies):[12][2]
- Christian Democracy (DC) – 207 seats (35.2%)
- Italian Socialist Party (PSI) – 115 seats (20.7%)
- Italian Communist Party (PCI) – 104 seats (18.9%)
- National Democratic Union (UDN) – 41 seats (6.8%)
- Common Man's Front (UQ) – 30 seats (5.3%)
- Others (including PRI, PLI, DL, and PdA) – 59 seats (13.1%)
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "Umberto II | Italian Monarch, Last King & Exile". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 2026-08-04.
Umberto II (born Sept. 15, 1904, Racconigi, Italy—died March 18, 1983, Geneva, Switz.) was a prince of Savoy and briefly king of Italy in 1946 until he was forced to abdicate after a republican form of government was approved in a general referendum. ... On Mussolini's recommendation he was made marshal in October 1942. After the Allies took Rome, his father appointed him lieutenant general of the realm (June 2, 1944) and abdicated in his favour on May 9, 1946.
- 1 2 3 "Italy votes to be republic". United Press International. 5 June 1946. Retrieved 2026-08-04.
The nation's rejection of the monarchy ended the reign of King Humbert just 26 days after he formally mounted the throne. He succeeded his father, King Victor Emmanuel, who abdicated and went into a life of voluntary exile in Egypt.
- 1 2 "DE NICOLA ELECTED ITALIAN PRESIDENT; Three Major Parties Reach Compromise on Neapolitan Who Had Quit Politics". The New York Times. 29 June 1946. p. 1. Retrieved 2026-08-04.
ROME, June 28—Enrico de Nicola, 68-year-old Neapolitan Parliamentarian, was elected Provisional President of the Italian Republic today by 396 votes of the total of 504 in the Constituent Assembly. He will hold office until the general election early next year.
- 1 2 "REPUBLIC'S CABINET COMPLETE IN ITALY; Ministers Take Office Today-- De Gasperi Keeps Voting Edge on Left-Wing Parties". The New York Times. 14 July 1946. p. 21. Retrieved 2026-08-04.
ROME, July 13—The first modern Italian Republican Government will take office tomorrow after being sworn in by Provisional President Enrico de Nicola. The Government, headed, as has been the interim Cabinet, by Dr. Alcide de Gasperi, secretary general of the Christian Democratic party, is composed of eight Christian Democrats, four Communists, four Socialists, two Republicans and one independent.
- ↑ "The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Italy (Kirk)". Foreign Relations of the United States, 1946, Council of Foreign Ministers, Volume II. Office of the Historian. Retrieved 2026-08-04.
Alcide De Gasperi, Italian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.
- ↑ Montanelli, Indro; Cervi, Mario (1985). L'Italia della Repubblica. Milan: Rizzoli. pp. 15–18.
- ↑ Pavone, Claudio (1991). Una guerra civile. Saggio storico sulla moralità della Resistenza. Bollati Boringhieri. pp. 201–203. ISBN 978-88-339-0629-4.
- ↑ "De Gasperi Protests to Big Four". The New York Times. 30 April 1946. p. 7.
- 1 2 Corbetta, Piero (2001). Storia delle elezioni in Italia dal 1861 al 2000. Il Mulino. pp. 89–94.
- ↑ "The Italian Constitution". Google Arts & Culture. Palazzo del Quirinale. Retrieved 2026-08-04.
On 2 June 1946 the referendum on the institutional form of the State took place. The Italians, and for the first time Italian women, called to the polls chose the Republic and elected the deputies of the Constituent Assembly who were tasked to draft the Constitution. The voter turnout was very high: out of approximately 28 million citizens with the right to vote, there were almost 25 million voters. 54% expressed themselves in favor of the Republic. Women played a decisive role: in fact, 12,998,131 women voted, compared to 11,949,056 men.
- ↑ "The Chargé in Italy (Key) to the Secretary of State". Foreign Relations of the United States, 1946, Volume V. Office of the Historian. Retrieved 2026-08-04.
At 6:00 last evening first President of Court of Cassation made interim announcement to Cabinet and other assembled high government officials concerning its findings to date on results referendum. ... total votes on referendum based on reports received to date from the several electoral districts were: for republic, 12,672,767; for monarchy 10,688,905; reports from 118 precincts not yet received.
- 1 2 3 Bartolotta, Francesco (1971). Parlamenti e governi d'Italia dal 1848 al 1970. Vito Bianco. p. 63-69.
- ↑ Mack Smith, Denis (1989). Italy and Its Monarchy. Yale University Press. pp. 269–272.
- ↑ "L'elezione del Presidente Enrico De Nicola". I presidenti della Repubblica. Presidenza della Repubblica. Retrieved 2026-08-04.
Il 1° luglio 1946 ha luogo l'insediamento del Capo provvisorio dello Stato.
- ↑ De Gasperi, Alcide (1955). Discorsi politici. Edizioni 5 Lune. pp. 156–168.
- ↑ "CRISIS IN CABINET FORESEEN IN ITALY; Considered Likely as Result of Christian Democrats' Loss to Leftists in Elections". The New York Times. 13 November 1946. p. 12. Retrieved 2026-08-04.
ROME, Nov. 12—Some political circles believed today that a Cabinet crisis was likely as result of the Christian Democratic party's defeat in the municipal elections on Sunday in Rome, Turin, Genoa, Florence, Naples and Palermo.
- ↑ Mammarella, Giuseppe (1986). Storia dell'Italia contemporanea. Laterza. pp. 134–137.
