"The belief that after being frozen out the entire cold war by an armory of unfair means, the left, which was the majority, was finally due to take power after the cold war ended. The feeling of inevitable historical triumph was increased 10 fold by tangentopoli, which removed almost the entire right and center political elite (whereas the left was notably clean by comparison). And then suddenly this nonpolitician billionaire comes from nowhere and steals it. And keeps it."
But that is exactly the problem with the left in Italy. They think that they deserve to win. But they don't. They blame Berlusconi, but they should blame themselves. Berlusconi is just as much of a creep, but no more so, than any centre right politician. The left lost because they had little to offer the electorate but austerity. The ex-PCI had been trumpeting austerity since the late seventies. Prodi's Olive Tree pushed through the austerity budgets to meet the country's eurozone obligations.
Yes, indeed, the left thought that they deserved to clean up after the anti-tangentopoli campaign. How stupid can you get? Did no-one ever explain to them that anti-corruption politics always swing to the right? The left-wingers in the Magistracy tried to impose on the Italian people a result that they had rejected at the ballot box, a left wing government. That was why Berlusconi could come from nowhere and steal it - it was never something that they had a secure grasp on in the first place.
"Berlusconi inherits all the frustrated fury against Andreotti, complete with its (quite justified) mafia and CIA accusations"
But again, you are hoping that outrage against corruption will substitute for political argument. Incidentally, Andreotti, after years under charges, was acquitted of the outrageous allegations against him. The left OUGHT to have been campaigning to *stop* the magistrates from striking down elected officials, sending armed troops into the chamber to seize elected deputies - instead they sat their like toads, cheering them on, waiting for "their turn".