How women’s first national vote in Italy forged a Republic
Source: Wanded in Rome
80 years ago, a landmark referendum empowered women in Italy and led to the birth of the Italian Republic.
On 2 June 1946, millions of Italian women entered polling stations across a country still scarred by war and queued to do something their mothers and grandmothers had been denied: cast a vote at national level.
The occasion was the institutional referendum in which the Italian people chose between monarchy and republic, and simultaneously elected a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution.
It was a founding moment in modern Italian history, and it was also, for around half the electorate, the first time they had ever been recognised as full citizens of a democratic state.
80 years on, Italy is marking this anniversary with official ceremonies and events across the country. In addition to celebration, the occasion invites reflection on the long and frequently obstructed journey that led Italian women to the ballot box.
80 years ago, a landmark referendum empowered women in Italy and led to the birth of the Italian Republic.
On 2 June 1946, millions of Italian women entered polling stations across a country still scarred by war and queued to do something their mothers and grandmothers had been denied: cast a vote at national level.
The occasion was the institutional referendum in which the Italian people chose between monarchy and republic, and simultaneously elected a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution.
It was a founding moment in modern Italian history, and it was also, for around half the electorate, the first time they had ever been recognised as full citizens of a democratic state.
80 years on, Italy is marking this anniversary with official ceremonies and events across the country. In addition to celebration, the occasion invites reflection on the long and frequently obstructed journey that led Italian women to the ballot box.