Abstract

The essay discusses the rigidity/flexibility of the Italian Statuto Albertino, by treating the Statute as a contract to manage the conflict between the monarchy and the bourgeoisie. From this perspective it is impossible to define the Statute as a completely rigid constitution nor as a completely flexible one: everything in the Statute could be modified by ordinary law, except from the fundamental pact that provided for a joint legislative power shared by the King and the Chamber of Deputies. Under this profile, it is also important to study the form of government: this seems to confirm the initial hypothesis, as there are not enough elements to affirm that Italy was then a fully developed parliamentary monarchy.