TIMELINE: Italy's recent governments

(Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi lost a vote of confidence in parliament's upper house on Thursday, meaning he has to resign.

Prodi came to power after his coalition won a razor-thin victory in an April 2006 election, beating the centre-right bloc led by Silvio Berlusconi, who governed for a record five years.

Here is a short chronology of governments since 1994:

Jan 18, 1994 - President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro dissolves parliament after two years of corruption scandals that destroyed the political old guard.

-- March 28 - Billionaire media magnate Silvio Berlusconi wins landslide victory with his Freedom Alliance coalition.

-- Dec 22 - Berlusconi's government falls after the Northern League party withdraws from the coalition.

Jan 13, 1995 - Scalfaro ignores Berlusconi's calls for a snap election and appoints former Treasury Minister Lamberto Dini as prime minister to head a government of technocrats.

Jan 11, 1996 - It becomes clear Dini no longer commands a majority. Scalfaro dissolves parliament.

April-May - Romano Prodi's centre-left coalition wins the election. He forms a government which lasts 28 months.

Oct 9, 1997 - Prodi's government loses a confidence vote after Communist allies withdraw support for the budget. Prodi resigns.

Oct 21 - Massimo D'Alema becomes Italy's first ex-communist to become prime minister at the head of a centre-left coalition.

Dec 18, 1999 - D'Alema resigns in a move largely seen as a bid to relaunch his coalition.

Dec 23 - D'Alema wins a confidence vote in parliament, giving him a mandate to form a new government.

April 19, 2000 - D'Alema resigns again after suffering a stinging defeat in regional elections.

April 26 - Giuliano Amato takes office at head of a new centre-left coalition.

May 13, 2001 - Berlusconi wins a parliamentary election and forms the 59th government.

April 20, 2005 - Berlusconi resigns after two coalition partners demanded a change of direction following a defeat for centre-right parties in regional elections.

April 23 - Italy's 60th government is sworn in, a new centre-right alliance under Berlusconi.

April 19, 2006 - The Supreme Court confirms centre-left leader Romano Prodi won the April 9-10 national election, dismissing complaints by Berlusconi that the vote was marred by irregularities.

May 17 - Centre-left leader Romano Prodi is sworn in.

Feb 21, 2007 - President Giorgio Napolitano accepts Prodi's resignation following the government's defeat in a Senate vote on foreign policy.

Feb 24 - Napolitano asks Prodi to return to parliament to test his majority in a confidence vote in both houses.

Feb 28 - Prodi wins confidence vote in the upper house, or Senate, by 162 votes to 157.

March 2 - Prodi wins vote of confidence by 342 votes to 198 with 2 abstentions in the lower house.

Jan 24, 2008 - Prodi, having lost his slim majority in the Senate after a small Catholic party left his ruling coalition, loses a vote of confidence, meaning he has to resign.

(Writing by David Cutler; London Editorial Reference Unit)