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Why did Silvio Berlusconi reverse his decision to bring down Enrico Letta’s government?

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Silvio Berlusconi reversed his decision to bring down the government of Prime Minister Enrico Letta in October 2013 primarily because he faced a significant revolt from within his own party, the People of Freedom (PdL).12

Although Berlusconi had withdrawn the PdL from the coalition—ostensibly in protest of a proposed 1 percent value-added tax increase—dozens of PdL lawmakers signaled that they would support the government regardless of his directive. Faced with this internal rebellion and the prospect of his challenge backfiring, Berlusconi abruptly abandoned his attempt to topple the administration, allowing Letta to survive a vote of confidence on October 2, 2013.12

This political maneuvering ultimately led to a split within the PdL, as the moderate wing that had supported Letta broke away to form the New Centre Right (NCD) party, while Berlusconi relaunched his own party as Forza Italia.12