 Following Victor Emmanuel III's abdication, his son, the new king Umberto II, was pressured by the threat of another civil war to call a Constitutional Referendum to decide whether Italy should remain a monarchy or become a republic.On 2 June 1946, the republican side won 54% of the vote and Italy officially became a republic.All male members of the House of Savoy were barred from entering Italy, a ban which was only repealed in 2002.