Italy is a country steeped in culture and history. Italy has existed as a nation since 1861. Before that, the story of Italy was independent cities, islands, and regions fragmented with outside powers coveting these. The history of Italy has formed from two periods of unity. […]

History

Italy is a country steeped in culture and history. Italy has existed as a nation since 1861. Before that, the story of Italy was independent cities, islands, and regions fragmented with outside powers coveting these. The history of Italy has formed from two periods of unity. These include Roman Empire and the modern democratic republic. The democratic republic is formed after World War II.

A millennium and a half of disruption and division have been between these two periods.

A brief historical overview of Italy

Let’s explore more about the history of Italy here.

Roman Empire from 27 BCE to 476 CE

From the 6th to 3rd centuries BCE, Rome conquered Peninsular Italy; this empire spread to dominate Western Europe and the Mediterranean over the next few centuries. The Roman Empire extended its rule on a stick and carrot basis through Italy. They offered Roman citizenship to the people who suffered from the military power of the Roman Empire. The Roman kept defining the history of Europe while leaving an influence on society and culture that outlasted its leadership’s military and political machinations.

After Roman Empire’s Italian Part declined, Italy became a target of various invasions. The region that was united previously broke into small pieces.

Venice, Genoa, and Florence: The Kingdom of Italy

From the 8th to 9th century, Venice, Florence, and Genoa emerged as trade-oriented and powerful city-states. These three cities raised the Renaissance.

  • Italy, including its smaller states, has also gone through different foreign domination stages. Later on, these states served as a fertile ground for Renaissance that massively changed Europe again.
  • This developed stronger independence and unification movements throughout Italy.
  • As a result, Napoleon, in the 19th century, created the Kingdom of Italy.
  • Several states were merged with Piedmont after a war in 1859 between France and Austria.

In 1861, the Kingdom of Italy was reformed and kept growing by 1870 to cover the area that we know as Italy.

The downfall of Mussolini

Mussolini coming into power as a fascist director resulted in the subversion of the Kingdom of Italy. Mussolini was also the one who made Italy a part of World War II instead of the menace of losing on what he thought was a land grab. However, this choice led to his downfall.

From World War II’s end to the earlier 90s, two parties dominated the multiparty system of Italy. These parties were:

  • The Italian Communist Party
  • The Christian Democratic Party.

This Italian system undergoes a radical transformation in the early 90s. This situation caused the collapse of the political center, leaving the party spectrum’s right-left polarization that drew the north-south division into a sharpie contrast. This scenario increased the popularity of some political leaders, such as media baron Silvio Berlusconi.

Modern Italy

The whole of Modern Italy is more prosperous than it was in the 20th century’s earlier years. During those years, the Italian economy was majorly dependent on agriculture. Currently, much of its wealth is because of tourism. Italy has now become a part of the EU.

Also, the strategic demographics of Italy have made it an important part of NATO.

So, that’s all about the brief historical overview of Italy.