All over the world, the women they had to face long and complex battles to conquer the right to vote. In this regard, our country has been among the most “late” and recognized the female suffrage only in 1945. The Italian women exercised the right to vote for the first time the following year: in the spring to the administrative elections, and on June 2 to the institutional referendum and in the elections for the constituent.
Previously, all attempts to introduce female suffrage had also gone empty because for many years the electoral rights had been limited for all citizens, including men: until 1912 the suffrage was censusThat is, only those who had a certain income could vote, and later, in the years of fascism, the right to vote was subtracted from everyone (except for some non -democratic plebiscites).
Female suffrage in the world
But how did we come to the granting to women? In the past, as unfortunately it is well known, they did not enjoy political rights: in ancient states, including those that provided for some elements of democracy (such as Greek city and the Republic of Rome) women did not participate in the elections and could not take public positions. Indeed, in the centuries of the Middle Agesthe principles of democracy and voting lost attractive even in the male sphere, until they almost disappeared, and the idea of the female vote was completely less. The slow path for the recognition of female suffrage then began in Seven hundredthanks to the development of new philosophical ideas and, in particular, of the movement of Enlightenment.
Among the first states to recognize the vote for women it was the Republic Corsaborn in Corsica in 1755 and existed until 1769: the Constitution established that All citizens More than 25 years, male and females, they would have participated in electing the national assembly.
At the end of the century, some intellectuals of both sexes declared themselves in favor of female suffrage, but for a long time the proposal found no practical applications, and was not adopted even by the governments that arose in France after the revolution. Moreover, also radical revolutionaries such as Robespierre and Jacobins they conceived citizenship as a only male fact. In general, in the nineteenth century numerous countries endowed themselves with liberal and democratic political systems, but assigned the right to vote only to male citizens.
Over the years, however, in many states the Movement of “suffragettes”that is, women who fought for the recognition of female suffrage. Thanks to their battles and social and cultural changes, some countries between the late nineteenth and early twentieth century they guaranteed women electoral rights. The first state to recognize them fully was the New Zealand In 1893, followed by Australia in 1902. In Europe, the first country that guaranteed female suffrage was the Finlandin 1906
Proposals for the female vote in Italy: from unity to fascism
In our country, female suffrage has established itself late. The kingdom of Italy proclaimed in 1861, in fact, did not recognize the electoral rights to women: although the new state was relatively liberal, the right to vote, both political and administrative, was reserved only for male citizens. Moreover, the Italian suffrage Until 1912 he was censustherefore only men voted for a income higher than a set threshold, and so the debate on the female vote was engulfed by the one on universal male suffrage. Only a few political exponents declared themselves in favor of granting the electoral rights to women too: among them the deputy Salvatore Morelli and some activists, such as Anna Maria Mozzoni And Anna Kuliscioff.
After the First World War, due to the socio-political changes produced by the conflict, the requests to grant the vote to women became more numerous and found followed in various political currents, among which the Catholic and the socialist one. Also the fascist movement – born as a progressive political force, and then became a conservative party – in the early years he declared himself in favor of guaranteeing women the right to vote at least in the administrative elections. Ascended to power, with the law of 22 November 1925 Fascism recognized the right to vote, in the only administrative elections, to some categories of women: those that had a given income, those that had passed a pre -established level of education, the relatives of the fallen in war and few others. The right to vote was therefore only a minority of the female population.
Furthermore, the Italian women to whom he was granted did not have the opportunity to really vote: a few months after the decree on the female vote, The regime completely abolished the administrative electionsreplacing the figure of the mayor, who was elected by the citizens, with that of the Podestà, who came. appointed by the king. He promised to grant the right to vote to women, but the fascist regime he also took away from men.
The recognition of the vote to women
Of female suffrage was back to speak only after the collapse of the fascist dictatorship, which took place on 25 July 1943. As we know, after 8 September the Italian territory was divided into two distinct political entities: in the north there was the Italian Social Republicsupported by fascists and Germans, and in the South the South Kingdomwith the monarchical government and the military support of the Anglo -Americans. Resistance and some developed in the territory of the RSI Partisan republics (i.e. the territories temporarily freed by the partisans in 1944, then regained by the fascists) recognized the right to vote to women.
Also the Government of the South Kingdom discussed the female suffrage and the 1st February 1945even before the liberation of northern Italy, issued a decree that extended the right to vote to women. Almost all political forces – Christian Democrats, Communists, Socialists and others – declared themselves in favor of the measure. The decree, however, made no explicit reference topassive electoratethat is, to the possibility that women could be elected to public offices. In 1946, in view of the administrative electionsdepending on the municipalities, between March and April, a new decree guaranteed women active and passive electoral rights. The women voted for the first time at the first round of the administrative ones, which took place, in some municipalities, the March 10th 1946.
On June 2, the Italians were called to vote for the institutional referendumchoosing between the Republic and Monarchy, and to Electing the Constituent Assembly. It was the first political elections after the dictatorship and the vote also participated by women. In addition, twenty -one candidates were elected to the assembly: The first deputies of our history. Since then, female suffrage has never been questioned. This, however, does not mean that full gender equality has been achieved in our country.
