The Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi is the most controversial leading politician in Europe. This book examines the Berlusconi phenomenon, explaining the development of his ruling coalition and how it has proved so successful despite heavy domestic and international criticism. Each of the three main partners in the ruling coalition - Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, the 'post-fascist' National Alliance and the Lega Nord - are examined in detail and the discussion is framed in a comparative perspective, exploring the nature of the Italian right in the context of right-wing parties and the populist phenomenon elsewhere in other liberal democracies. The authors also discuss whether the new Italian right poses a threat to democracy in Italy.