Disrupting Democracy

Italy’s 2018 election proved to be the latest shock to western democracies. By wide margins, Italians voted for populist movements at the expense of traditional parties. In May, the populist Five Star Movement and the right-wing Lega Party reached a tentative agreement to form a new governing coalition. Why did Italian voters risk putting their future in the hands of untested populists? From youth unemployment to a slumping working class and a simmering migration crisis, this documentary by the Bertelsmann Foundation’s Samuel George goes inside a country at a crossroads.

This documentary is part of the Bertelsmann Foundation project Disrupting Democracy, managed by Transatlantic Director Anthony Silberfeld. Read his analysis of the Italian election here:

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