On the territory of the Apennine Peninsula, statehood arose quite early. Long before the advent of our era, on these lands were the ancient kingdoms of the Etruscans and Latins. The forms of government of Italy have changed from century to century. There was a republic and monarchy. Until 476 A.D. Italy became the center of the powerful Roman Empire, whose territories stretched from North Africa to the British Isles, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Black Sea coast. It was during this state formation that the so-called Roman law took shape. It still serves as the basis of modern jurisprudence.
Historical continuity
With the fall of the Roman Empire, the inhabitants of the peninsula still felt they were the successors of a great power. Not only the law of the ancient state becomes the basis of the written Kutyum (code), but also the form of government. Italy as a state does not exist yet, but there is a great thirst for unification in Second Rome. However, the capital of the Western Empire becomes Aachen, and the Eastern - Constantinople. Italy itself was fragmented into many states. And the forms of social and political governance are very different from each other - from urban communes and republics to feudal duchies and principalities. Of particular note is the Papal Region, on the territory of which the Roman pontiff was not only a religious ruler, but also a secular lord.
Italy and the "Spring of the Peoples"
The political fragmentation of the country has led to numerous attacks on its territory by militant neighbors - Austria, France and Spain. She also became a target for attacks by Ottoman Turkey. By the middle of the XIX century, many territories of modern Italy were captured by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The “Spring of Peoples” (1840s) gave rise to the Piedmont Statute, adopted under the auspices of King Turin Karl-Albert. This code, later named after the creator of the Alberta Constitution, became the basis of the modern form of government in Italy.
1946 referendum
Since the Albertine constitution could be amended by members of parliament, reforms were introduced into law in 1922, and Italy turned into a fascist dictatorship. After the Second World War, in a referendum held on June 2, 1946, the inhabitants of the country abandoned the monarchical form of government in Italy. From the beginning of 1948, the new Constitution of the Republic came into force, which is still valid.
