Italy: the birth of the republic – archive, 11 June 1946

11 June 1946: Italians vote in an institutional referendum to replace the monarchy with a republic

Rome, 10 June
To-day the Italian supreme court in a simple but historic ceremony in the parliament building announced the all but complete returns for the referendum on the monarchy. And so, somewhat hesitantly, the Italian Republic came into being.

Since early in the morning there had been a queue outside parliament for the few seats available for the public at this evening's ceremony.