Popolo della Liberta: the rise and fall of a conservative party

The following article analyses the ideological dimension of Silvio Berlusconi's political party Popolo della Liberta (2008-2013). The focus on the ideological nature of the PdL is justified because its failure as a conservative party is a crucial factor, along with the transformation of the political party system in Italy, in understanding the metamorphosis of the Italian right between 2008 and 2018. The analysis concludes that the demise of the two-party system that characterized the Second Republic has contributed to reduce Berlusconi's traditional ability to mobilise the anti-left wing electorate through an anticommunist discourse.