New Religions in the Republic of Italy.

This chapter details Italy's long history of being more open to religious dissent. In order to understand the genesis of the Italian model for laws relating to religious minorities and religious liberty one must examine events that occurred in Italy even before it was unified. Italy was ultimately unified through a process of annexation. This process known as the artichoke revolution, began in 1859 and was given legitimacy through plebiscites in each region, which some claimed were rigged. The new Italian religious economy continues to drive a greater awareness of religious pluralism and spark competition among the religious bodies.