Silvio Berlusconi a housing construction entrepreneur and television magnate who had previously not held any form of political office entered the Italian political landscape in March 1994 after years of an unstable political environment within Italy. Just a year before Berlusconi was catapulted into the political arena, Italy had dramatically changed the political process in which they voted. In the referendum of 1993, Italy implemented a diversified electoral structure for the election of both branches of its bicameral legislature. This changed Italy’s political system beyond the realm of recognition in relation to the voting behaviour of Italians. Voters approved historical changes in the distribution of votes in Italian elections. This …show more content…
These cornerstones were Catholicism and the ideology that made many Italians fear for their future, Communism.
The referendum in 1993 brought about change, not just political change which by its nature is to be expected but also a change deriving from legality. Across Europe in the early 1990s change was rife, with the collapse of the Berlin Wall in the late 1980s there was a change in political parties and politics. With the traditional parties suffering electoral difficulties. Newell argues that the change in Europe’s political landscape led to the direct encouragement of stirrings that lead to a series of vital “judicial investigations of political corruption” (Newell,2011)
Investigations into post-war Italy is corrupt political system began in 1992 and rapidly highlighted the dying situation that Italy faced politically. The 1992 investigation which became known as “mani pulite” or “clean hands “ led to many members of the Italian parliament being subjected to judicial review. Towards the end of 1993, there were no less than 251 parliamentarians who were under judicial investigation by the clean hands team.
This background allowed for Berlusconi to
Italy’s problems started with the fact that it didn’t have one main ruler, but two people and a concept, resulting in a different approach to the unification. Gulseppe Mazzini had a radical program focusing on a centralized democratic republic based on universal suffrage and the will of the people. Vincenzo Gioberti, who was a catholic priest called for a federation of existing states
Mussolini consolidation of fascist power in Italy in the years 1922-1929 could have been mainly due to the use of force and intimidation. However this was not a straightforward process, since fascism was a new thing. In the years 1922 to January 1925 marked the transition from the liberal parliamentary system to the fascist state. Like many political transitions, it was an untidy and complicated process. Although from the start Mussolini’s intentions were quite difficult to establish, however it could be that Mussolini wanted to set up from the beginning a totalitarian one party state.
Benito Mussolini outlines several essential characteristics of his preferred political ideology, Fascism, in what has become known as the Doctrine of Fascism. In this paper, Mussolini outlines his vision of the ideology, and explains the major issues that Fascism will address once it becomes the leading political system in Italy. Mussolini’s major points as outlined in the Doctrine included an extreme emphasis on nationalism, organization and modernization of the state, persistent focus on religion, life as a struggle, and the notion that individuals exist only for the improvement of society as a whole. Wolfgang Schieder, after reviewing the Doctrine of Fascism, explains Mussolini’s success based on it and
When identifying the presence of a democratic deficit in the European Union, it is important to consider a range of factors, including international treaties and the effect they had on its structured governmental framework. One of the first official agreements established by the European Union (formerly
Consider the intricate sociopolitical climate of Italy just before the film’s release in 1948. Italy would hold its first election after almost twenty years of rule, Benito Mussolini was overthrown as head of Fascism and prime minister of the Italian government on July 15, 1943. The political framework of the Italians
A Democratic Deficit in the EU The question over the legitimacy of the EU has been a nearly continuous debate and many commentators appear to agree that the EU suffers from a severe ‘democratic deficit’. There are many reasons why this perception is so widespread. As a multinational body it lacks the grounding in common history and culture upon which most individual polities can draw.
A post Middle Age Italy was afflicted by medieval wars and the bubonic plague. A change was needed to restore the vision of what Italy could become. This change was found within one family: the Medici’s, who helped to return the glory and influence to Florence. The Medici’s saw the value in contributing to the advancement of the greatest minds of the period. This was evident in their patronage of leading Artists such as Michelangelo and of renowned Teachers such as Galileo. The sphere of influence the Medici’s enjoyed also extended to the political arena, which happened to be heavily influenced by the Catholic Church at the time. The Medici’s were able to capitalize on the power of the Church and through this influence and the use of
The economic instability of Europe developed totalitarian goverments that began rising during the depression in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. Germany, Italy, and Japan all became countries subjected to the rule of dictated military rule leaving no room for opposition. Benito Mussolini came to power in Italy in 1922 (Calvocoressi, Wint, p 777, 1999). Mussolini had his own philosophy that his destiny was to rule over Italy as Caesar in a more modern version while re-creating the Roman Empire. In his attempts in
From a macro scope it is evident the EU is strong promoter democracy and has deeply embedded democratic features, however, as Peterson and Shackleton point out that “understanding politics always begins with understanding institutions not at least the EU”. Taking this advice the essay will seek to examine the two main legislative bodies within the EU,
It seems like the only sector of Italy that has thrived is its underground black market. These lucrative and subversive activities account for over 25 percent of the country’s GDP. This puts a burden on the Italian government since all this lost revenue is not subject to taxation. Italy’s chief of state, or president is Giorgio Napolitano, who has served since May 15, 2006. Napolitano’s main responsibilities are to approve the Council of Ministers and to provide the prime minister with advice. Berlusconi leads the Forza Italia, a Christian-democratic, liberal majority political party in Italy. Forza Italia was founded in December 1993 and was merged into The People of Freedom March 2009.
These factors were all highly important to the Fascists’ control of Italy up to 1939 but it could be argued some of these were of more value to the Fascist domination than others.
However organisation of the party was no mean feat as it contained many different viewpoints from many members that had been sourced from some of the most extreme and militant movements in Italy. This is the first reason
The Importance of the Economic Factors in the Rise to Power of the Fascist Party in Italy
As a result of how Italy was created but not fully unified, the new Italian state suffered from a variety of weaknesses which the new liberal state was unable to tackle these. This made Italy susceptible to the appeal of fascism, and therefore aided Mussolini’s rise to power.
instability, as the nation tried to re-create the social bonds broken by the war and