Italy » History

Italy has come a long way to enjoy the status of being a modern state that actively participates in the global community. A country rich in art, culture and natural beauty it has attracted world attention but Italy’s past has been a complex one.

 

It was after the Second World War that Italy abolished monarchy and became a republic. In early 50s Italy joined NATO alliance and with the help of United States the economic revival process started. The time of late 50’s is known as the ‘Economic Miracle’. The period from 1970s and 1980s was the time when Italy faced economic problems as well as social conflicts and terrorist acts.  This time is also known as the Years of Lead. Politics in Italy was characterized by corruption and scandals.

 

Today also Italy faces many unresolved issues but it also has the credit of being amongst the prosperous nations of Europe.

Going far two thousand years back into Italy’s history reveals that the early group of hunters and gatherers were replaced by Etruscans. By 500 BC, there were a number of groups living in Italy. There were Greek colonies along the southern coast and island of Sicily. Gauls, in the north and Etruscans settled in central Italy.

Etruscans were a sophisticated group who constructed bold structures and developed cities. The remains of their building structures are valuable contributions to the architecture of Italy still admired by the tourists who visit these places. During their time the Etruscans traded throughout the Mediterranean. Not much is known about them but they left a lasting influence on Roman culture. Following their ways of living the neighboring civilization of Rome started to build its city.

Rome grew from a small Italian village to become the largest empire of the world. It is said that, Rome was founded on April 21, 753 BC by twin brothers, Romulus and Remus. Rome was ruled by seven kings until in 509 BC the king was defeated and the Roman Republic came into being. The peninsula under the Roman Republic was unified. When Rome began to expand, its system of government started creating problems. It all ended with a rebellion against the government, a series of military dictatorships and the assassination of Julius Caesar. The month of ‘July’ is named after Julius Cesar.

In 29 BC, Julius Caesar's nephew, Octavius came into power. Rome for the next two hundred years saw a period of prosperity and peace. This period is called Pax Romana. The time of peace came to an end with the death of the last great emperor. After his death Rome began to gradually decline and faced economic problems, instability and barbarian invasions. The Roman Empire split into two. The East that is now Turkey prospered and the west with the capital of Rome saw further decline until it completely collapsed. This period is known as the Dark ages when for a period of thousand years Italy remained a fragmented group of city states.

It was in the Fourteenth century that city states saw commercial prosperity with flourishing trade that brought in wealth transforming Italy into trade and culture center. Italian explorers and figures such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Dante, Machiavelli, and Galileo left a great impact in their respective areas for which Italy is known world-over even now. 15th century was the period when Renaissance reached its peak. It started from Tuscany, later it spread to Venice and the rest of Italy as well as Europe.

Italy however felt politically threatened by the growing nations of France, Spain and Austria. The Italian states fought among themselves that called for foreign intervention and made the peninsula a battleground. Italian wars and the dominance of France and Spain vying for control in Italy strengthened the belief that a united Italy alone would be the solution.

In the nineteenth century with the support of France, Italian nationalist Giuseppe Garibaldi led a movement that ended in 1870 with the fall of Rome and complete unification of Italy. From 1870 to 1922, Italy was a constitutional monarchy. The political instability left a negative impact on the economy. A politician, Mussolini launched a movement to restore Italy’s past glory. He marched to Rome to seize power from the king and then began consolidating power. During the Second World War broke out, Italy remained neutral at first but then decided to join Hitler. Unprepared for the battle Mussolini eventually lost.