European Electoral Reforms and Communist Threat: A Comparative study of Italy and France in the 1950s

This thesis has attempted to make an original contribution in researching whether the Italian and French electoral reforms from the 1950s were inherently designed to eliminate Communist parties from domestic political competition. Upon the methodology, it was decided that the research should mainly consist of secondary sources, augmented by primary sources such as political documents, speeches, and diplomatic cables. However, the literature review suggested that Italy and France could have potentially designed their voting system reforms to curb their respective Communist parties. The following qualitative research revealed that the reforms' motivations were not unambiguous, and it was challenging to respond to the research question without a substantial nuance. The more nuanced perspective highlighted that the Italian case of reform targeted the Communists more explicitly than the French reform, which sought to stabilise the tumultuous post-war political environment. The governing...Show moreThis thesis has attempted to make an original contribution in researching whether the Italian and French electoral reforms from the 1950s were inherently designed to eliminate Communist parties from domestic political competition. Upon the methodology, it was decided that the research should mainly consist of secondary sources, augmented by primary sources such as political documents, speeches, and diplomatic cables. However, the literature review suggested that Italy and France could have potentially designed their voting system reforms to curb their respective Communist parties. The following qualitative research revealed that the reforms' motivations were not unambiguous, and it was challenging to respond to the research question without a substantial nuance. The more nuanced perspective highlighted that the Italian case of reform targeted the Communists more explicitly than the French reform, which sought to stabilise the tumultuous post-war political environment. The governing politicians of both states interestingly orchestrated both reforms, as the voting system reforms were not communicated with the broad public. The study concluded that while Communist influence was a notable factor, the motivations behind the electoral reforms were more nuanced and varied between the two countries. Future research could benefit from examining the role of U.S. influence in other post-war democracies.Show less

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European Electoral Reforms and Communist Threat: A Comparative study of Italy and France in the 1950s