Quando la democrazia italiana era “osservata speciale” : la Gran Bretagna e la questione comunista in Italia alla vigilia delle elezioni del 1976

During the spring of 1976, on the eve of Italian political elections that were expected (and feared) to be won by the Italian Communist Party, British diplomats and officers inside the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence were devoting a big deal of attention towards what was going on in Italy, and what the elections’ outlook might bring about. Among the many issues discussed in numerous reports concerning the Italian situation, assessments diverged about the repercussions of the Communists’ share of power on the Italian democratic system. Relying upon archival sources available at the National Archives in Kew (London), the essay explores the debate that took place and the dangers then envisaged for the Italian democracy.