The Italian Guillotine

By Stanton H. Burnett and Luca Mantovani

Since 1992, Italy has been wracked by what has been dubbed a 'revolution.' The five parties that once governed Italy are gone; their leaders languish in jail or exile; and numbers of politicians and businessmen committed suicide. All these dramatic events stemmed from the exposure of massive political corruption by a small group of Milan magistrates who became national heroes. Yet this controversial book argues instead that the actions of this group amounted to a coup d'etat carried out for explicit political ends. The authors examine the sources of the magistrates' political support and protection, the intended beneficiaries of their campaign, and their skillful management of the media. Along the way, they trace the magistrates' violation of the norms of due process and defendants' rights and the preferential treatment given to political and business allies. This provocative study will convincingly show readers outside Italy why the 'revolution' is becoming suspect to more and more Italians daily.

Chapter 1 What Happened to Italy? The Thesis Chapter 2 The Arena Chapter 3 The Politics of the Magistracy Chapter 4 The Lessons of History Chapter 5 The Decline and Fall of Due Process Chapter 6 The Politics of Justice Chapter 7 The Launching of the Coup Chapter 8 The Scandal Touches the Political Summit Chapter 9 The Establishment Cracks Chapter 10 Setbacks for the Government and the Parties Chapter 11 Differences in Treatment: Cagliari and Romiti Chapter 12 Parliament Confronts the Pool Chapter 13 The Red Togas and Their Thought Chapter 14 Death by Clean Hands Chapter 15 The Cusani Trial Chapter 16 Berlusconi Chapter 17 The Biondi Decree-Law Chapter 18 The Pool Attacks the Prime Minister Chapter 19 The Resignation of Di Pietro Chapter 20 Intermission: The Magistrate as Elliot Ness Chapter 21 Interregnum: Between Counter-Revolution and Endgame Chapter 22 The Final Act? Conclusion Chapter 23 Chronology Chapter 24 Cast of Characters