Page "Italian constitutional referendum, 1946" Paragraph 2

The Italian referendum was intended only to determine whether the head of state should come from a family dynasty or be elected by popular vote.

Democracy was not a new concept in Italian politics.

The Kingdom of Piedmont had become a constitutional monarchy with the liberalizing reforms of King Charles Albert's famous Albertine Statute in 1848.

Suffrage, initially limited to select citizens, was gradually expanded ; in 1911, the government of Giovanni Giolitti introduced universal suffrage for male citizens.

In this period, the provisions of the Statute were often not observed, however.

Instead, the elected Chamber and the Head of Government took major roles.

At the beginning of the 20th century, many observers thought that, by comparison to other countries, Italy was developing in the direction of a modern democracy.

Essential issues that needed to be resolved included the relationship of the Kingdom with the Roman Catholic Church.