HISTORIA I WSPÓŁCZESNOŚĆ SYSTEMÓW WYBORCZYCH WE WŁOSZECH

This article analyses the transformations of Italian electoral systems both in the historical context, and as a contemporary issue (including the 2005 modifications of electoral laws). The historical part discusses the changes of electoral systems from 19 century, starting from the unification of Italy, utill the 1990s. In this part of the article the analysis concerns the period from the unification of Italy till the introduction of fascism in Italy. The main crux of analysis related to the second half of 20 century refers to the history of the so-called First Italian Republic and to the role of proportional electoral laws in the creation of partitocrazia culminating in the 1980s. The author also examines the changes in the Italian electoral laws, which have had significant impact on the contemporary history of Italy. Against this background the article discusses the crisis of 1st Italian Republic (the beginning of the 1990) and shows the role of majoritarian electoral laws in the establishment of new rule of political life known as Second Republic in the periode 1994-2005. In the final part of the text the author presents the changes in the electoral law introduced in 2005, which might be shortly described as the return to the proportional system. In the concluding part the author stresses the negative role of political parties influence on the social and economic life of contemporary Italy and on the fact that the proportional electoral law has generated the fragmentation of the political scene. Finally the article highlights the importance of the changes of the electoral laws for the understanding of the contemporary history of Italy.