IS. POLITICAL PARTIES. In order to understand the origin of the political parties which asserted themselves in the first Italian Parliament we must remember that the'unity of Italy was obtained by the combined forces of the constitutional monarchy of Savoy, which governed the ancient kingdom of Sardinia, and the ancient revolutionary Republican party which from 1832 had had as it master and itt spirer •Mazzini, and as a leader, during the events of 18.59-60, Garibaldi.
In 1861, the Kingdom of Italy being estab lished but not fully organized, the Right, which was more numerous and was composed of all those who, having followed the impulse given by Count Cavour, admitted unconditionally the monarchical constitutional form of government, because they saw that monarchy was indispen sable not only to complete it, but also in order to the continuance of the unity of Italy. On the contrary the old Mazzini conspirators and the most active and enthusiastic followers of Gari baldi sat generally on the Left.
But very shortly a large fraction of these, accepting the formula of Crispi which affirmed at that time that a monarchy would unite Italy and a republic would disintegrate it, gave in their allegiance more or less conditionally to the monarchy, and constituted the Constitutional Left, which thus little by little became distinct from the Extreme Left, to which belonged all those who remained more firmly attached to the traditions and to the doctrines of Repub licanism.
Until 1870 the question which chiefly divided the Constitutional Left from the Right was that relating to the method to be followed in com pleting the unity of Italy. The members of the Left, in accordance with their principles, had the greatest confidence in conspiracy and popular movements, while those of the Right, who had always been lovers of law and order, or had connected themselves entirely with those principles, placed their confidence above all in the action of government, of diplomacy, and of the regular army. But the difference in the platform of the two parties was not so great as that of their origin and political education which caused them each to remain well disci plined and compact, so that the Right always remained in favor of the government, and the Left always opposed to it. Both one and the other, however, had a pronounced anti-clerical tendency; for at that time the temporal power of the popes was an obstacle in the way of the per fecting of Italian unity, and the Pope had pro hibited all those in whom the religious senti ment predominated over patriotic feelings from having a seat in the Chamber of Deputies and participating in political elections.
The unity of Italy being an accomplished fact with the taking of Rome in 1870, the ranks of the Left were gradually increased by all the malcontents that the new regime had created because of the superfluous concentration of bureaucracy, and on account of the heavy bur den of taxation; so that in 1876 they were able to obtain a majority in the Chamber of Depu ties and get control of the government. But the superfluous outside elements which had crept into the party; the inherent lack of disci pline of the ancient revolutionary elements which yet lingered in their composition ; and, above all, the lack of a definite program, which, after 1860, Should distinguish the Left from the Right, caused disorganization and disorder to enter the ranks of both the old parties. In con sequence of this Depretis, who, with a few in terruptions, was Prime Minister from 1876 to 1887, governed with the support of a majority composed of elements of the Left and of the Right. A small group of “intransigeant0 from the Right did not join the majority, also a few groups of the Constitutional Left who adhered to the other parliamentary leaders, among whom was Crispi; and, lastly, the Extreme Left, at that time very numerous and very te naciously attached to the revolutionary and Mazzini traditions. The situation was not nota bly modified when, in 1887, Crispi came into power; nor under the successive ministries pre sided over by Rudini, Giolitti, Zanardelli and other parliamentary leaders. From that day to this, the only new events of importance which occurred in the composition of the representa tive parties in the Italian Chamber of Deputies, were the disappearance of the little group of “intransigeants" of the Right wing on the one hand, and the entrance and establishment of the Socialist party, and of another of more re cent date, composed of a small number of dep uties, calling itself the Catholic or Clerical party.