The former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi was the most controversial leading politician in Europe. This is a sharp examination of the Berlusconi phenomenon, explaining the development of his former ruling coalition and how it proved so successful despite heavy domestic and international criticism.

Each of the three main partners in the former ruling coalition - Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, the 'post-fascist' National Alliance and the Lega Nord - are examined in detail and the discussion is framed in a comparative perspective, exploring the nature of the Italian...