The story
On June 2 and 3, 1946, Italians voted on whether to remain a monarchy or become a republic. About 12.7 million voted for a republic and about 10.7 million for the monarchy, roughly 54 to 46 percent. It was the first national vote in which Italian women took part. The same vote elected a Constituent Assembly, whose constitution took effect on January 1, 1948. King Umberto II, who had reigned about a month, left for exile in Portugal.
The House of Savoy had ruled a united Italy since 1861, but fascism ruined its reputation. In 1922 Victor Emmanuel III chose not to resist the March on Rome and named Mussolini prime minister, and he later signed the racial laws and the declaration of war. In 1943, as the Allies landed, he dismissed Mussolini, agreed an armistice and fled Rome with the government, leaving the army without orders. He abdicated in May 1946 in the hope of saving the dynasty. The north voted mostly for the republic and the south for the monarchy. Male Savoy heirs were banned from Italy until 2002.
Why it mattered
- Ended 85 years of monarchy under the House of Savoy and created the Italian Republic.
- Led to the 1948 constitution, which set up a parliamentary republic with a weak executive to prevent a new dictatorship.
- Gave women a national vote for the first time, a major step in Italian democracy.
Sources
- Umberto II Britannica
- King Umberto II goes into exile (Rome, 13 June 1946) CVCE
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