Trasformismo was the process of creating a flexible, centrist coalition of government which isolated the extremes of the left and the right. The process was initiated by Agostino Depretis the Italian Prime Minister in 1883 who was a member of the Constitutional Left party, moving to the right and reshuffling his government to include Marco Minghetti's Conservatives. A move Depretis had been considering for a while before 1883. The aim was to ensure a stable government that would avoid weakening the institutions by extreme shifts to the left or right. Depretis felt that a secure government could ensure calm in Italy.

However trasformismo fed into the debates that the Italian parliamentary system was failing and weak, it ultimately became associated with corruption. It was seen as the sacrifice of principles and policies for short term gain.