Constitution of Italy: history of creation and general description

The Italian Constitution was adopted in 1947. Of course, since then it has partially changed - in recent years, about fifteen amendments have been introduced. Nevertheless, the general provisions remain the same. As for the current Constitution, it consists of two parts and twelve basic principles.

Constitution of Italy: historical facts

It's no secret that the country was declared a republic in the last century, but Italy's constitutional right developed for several previous centuries. It all began with the adoption of the so-called "Albertine status" in 1848 in the territory of the Kingdom of Sardinia. Already in 1870, after the complete unification of all Italian lands, "Status" became the first Constitution of the country.

Of course, the country still had a constitutional monarchy. Nevertheless, the first Constitution of Italy introduced certain democratic directions in the development of the country. The evolution of the form of government was interrupted in 1922, when a totalitarian fascist regime was introduced into the country, and Benito Mussolini became the head of state .

Already in December 1925 a new law was adopted, which established a one-party regime in the country, and the duce (the head of the party) represented the executive branch of government solely. In 1943, Italy, which supported Japan and Germany, was defeated in World War II. This became a prerequisite for the abolition of the fascist regime.

In 1946, a referendum was held. His results demonstrated the desire of the population to eliminate totalitarianism, so the Constituent Assembly was assembled, at which it was decided to proclaim the country a republic, which happened on June 18, 1946.

The new Constitution of Italy in 1947 was adopted at the Assembly by a majority vote. It came into force four days later, on January 1, 1948, and although the Charter has undergone some changes since then, the common features have remained the same.

Constitution of Italy: a general characteristic

In fact, this political and legal document contains many rules, including the social and legal framework, legal provisions and philosophical attitudes. As mentioned earlier, the Constitution of Italy consists of several parts:

• Introductory section "Basic Principles", containing 12 articles;
• The main part "Rights and duties of citizens";
• The main part "The Republic of the Republic";
• Transitional and final orders.

According to this document, all power is divided into three standard branches:

• Legislative power belongs exclusively to members of Parliament, as well as to regional councils, but only within their competence;
• Judicial power belongs to the Constitutional Court and the judiciary;
• Executive power is the prerogative of the president, as well as ministers.

By the way, the Constitution of Italy describes a special attitude to the Catholic Church: do not forget that it is here that the state of the Vatican is located. As early as 1929, the Concordat and the Treaty (parts of the Lateran Agreements) were concluded between Italy and the Vatican: according to them the Vatican has the right to partial sovereignty. In addition, Catholicism was designated as the traditional religion of Italy. It is interesting that, along with this, the Constitution of Italy separates the state from the church and respects the principles of equality of all faiths.