La derecha nacional-conservadora de Giorgia Meloni. Historia, organización, relaciones internacionales y programas de Fratelli d’Italia

This chapter analyses the political trajectory, organizational structure, ideological profile and international positioning of Fratelli d’Italia under the leadership of Giorgia Meloni. It reconstructs the party’s genealogy from the post-fascist tradition of the Movimento Sociale Italiano through Alleanza Nazionale and the centre-right coalitions of the Second Republic, showing how Fratelli d’Italia has combined historical continuity with strategic innovation. The chapter argues that Meloni’s party has benefited from the crisis of traditional centre-right actors, the decline of Berlusconi’s leadership, the limits of the Lega’s fluctuating strategy, and its own ability to present itself as both a coherent opposition force and a credible governing party. Particular attention is devoted to the party’s organizational centralization, its communication style, its emphasis on nation, family, identity, security and sovereignty, and its attempt to normalize a national-conservative profile within Italian and European politics. The chapter also examines Fratelli d’Italia’s international alliances and the tensions between radical-right origins, conservative institutionalization and governmental pragmatism. In doing so, it contributes to the broader debate on the transformation and mainstreaming of the contemporary European far right.