This journal article investigates the particular nature of Berlusconi’s power, choosing as the main variable the structure of his parties, Forza Italia and the People of Freedom. The aim of the research is to understand how Berlusconi succeeded in imposing a position of incontestable power over his party and among his followers in Parliament, and the reasons for the current crisis in his system of power. On the methodological plane, the paper is based on the analysis of party statutes, official documents, speeches and, above all, face-toface in-depth interviews conducted with fifty members of Parliament.