Ancient History of Italy
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Ancient History of Italy
ancient history of italy has been taken from the wordItalia which means calf land, which is probably because the Southern Italiantribes had bull as their symbol. Italy is off icially known as‘Repubblica Italiana’and almost four-fifths of it is covered with hills and mountains. The country comprises of more masterpieces per square mile than any other country across the globe. It is also home to one of the ancient universities situated in Rome whichwas founded in 1303 A.D. and is usually referred toas ‘La Sapienza’, there are around 150,000 studentsin the university.
ancient history of italy is oneof the histories that still have remembr ancesfrom its way past. Besides wars and battlesthere also has been time of peace and growth amongthe people of Italy. Some of the world's mostrenowned and famous artists whose works are world famous belong to Italy. This is the place where art andliterature is appreciated and it is here that you will find the preservedtreasures from the renaissance period. Every piece of art has a story to say and the intriguing beauty never fails to capturethe heart of the beholder. Italy is now ranked among the leadingcountries in world exports and trade. It has a huge agriculturalsector and it also happens to be the world’slargest wine producer.
The country has a thriving population with a dense history as for its past. Geographical Layout The Italian or the Apennine Peninsula isone of the three peninsulas of Southern Europe (the other two being the IberianPeninsula and Balkan Peninsula), covering 1,000 km from thePo Valley in the north to the central MediterraneanSea in the south. The peninsula is bounded bythe Adriatic Sea on the east, Tyrrhenian Sea on the west andthe Ionian Sea on the south. The internal part ofthe Apennine Peninsula comprises of the Apennine Mountains, from which it gets its name, the northern part is mostly plains and the coastsare lined with cliffs. Italy is one of the mostimportant countries that lies in thesouthern central Europe.
It inhabits peninsula juttingdeep into the Mediterranean Sea. Italy’s holds within itself some of theglobes most diverse and picturesque magnificence and is often definedas a country shaped like a boot. You also get to see the world’s mostrocky mountains here; the Alps. The highest peaks are the alongMont Blanc and Monte Rosa. Both of these mountains are in the mosthappening cities - France and Switzerland. Towards the south is Tuscanywhich is Italy’s best region. Overseeing the Alpine lakesand the valleys of glacier expanding to Piedmont and PoRiver are the western Alps. The Apennine Range exudes fromthe central Alps and broadens near Rome covering almost the whole of Italian peninsula. The Apennines taper down towards the south of Rome and is fringed by two wide coastal plains, one faces the Adriatic Seaand the other faces the Tyrrhenian Sea. Most of the lower Apennine chain isalmost wasteland and is home to some of the rare animal species like the roedeer, red deer, Marsican wild boar.
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Some of the rare plant, in the Mediterranean Sea. Prehistory Monte Poggiolo is the where the firsthominins settled 850,000 years back. By the Bronze Age fourwaves of migration occurred in the territoriesof Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany, Lombardy, Liguria, South Tyrol,Capua, Campania, Salerno and Sala Consilina. By the 8th century BC Italy wasin the proto-historical period and Phoenician script wasintroduced among the inhabitants. Etruscan Civilization The origin of the Etruscansis not known exactly. However, their civilization flourishedafter 800 BC in central Italy. The only connection that canbe found is that they are an indigenous tribe and comefrom Villanovan culture. A recent study concludedthat the Etruscans could be a result of aninvasion from Near East. The Etruscans are the nearest to aNeolithic population from Central Europe. They concentrated on expanding the ircivilization in the Apennines. They has a strong politicalstructure, although similar but much more refinedthan the Magna Greece. There was a non Indo-European languagethat was used as mode of communication.
They followed monogamy. Mining of iron and copper and theirtrade led to the growth and prosperity of the Etruscans who expanded theirhold not only in the Italian peninsula but also towards the westernparts of Mediterranean Sea. Around the 6th century BC thePhoceans who were a Greek tribe settled along the coast of Catalonia, France and Corsica. The interests of the Etruscansconflicted with those of the Greeks. The Carthaginians also did not favour the Greeks and made allies with the Etruscans. Battle of Alalia was fought by Carthaginians and Etruscans who fought as allies againstthe Greeks in 540 BC. Although it was an indecisive battle Etruriarelegated and moved towards the Tyrrhenian Sea and ruled on Corsica whereas Carthaginiansexpanded over the Greek territories.
After the 5th centuryEtruria began to decline when they lost theirterritories in the south. Carthage did not survive long andwas defeated by Magna Graecia in 480 BC, Etruscans lost their allywhich left them with lesser power. Battle of Cumae in 474 BC weakenedthe Etruria even more, as they lost Campania and Latiumto the Samnites and Romans. Gallic invasions snatched away their rulefrom the Adriatic coast on Po Valley. The Etruscans were soon takenover by Romans who then amalgamated of what was left ofEtruria in the Roman Empire. Magna Graecia The Greeks started settling inthe southern parts of Italy, eastern Libya, eastern coatof Black Sea and Marseille. The extended settlements were a resultof over-population and even famine. The area of Sicily andthe foot of Italy were referred to as MagnaGraecia by the Romans. Magna Graecia in Latin meant Great Greece. The name was given so because of thedense population of Greeks in the area. When this colonization happened there wasmuch changes that took place in the Greek culture especially in the dialects,traditions and religion of the Ancient Greek. The interaction of Italianand Latin civilizations led to the birth of originalHellenic civilization.
The most significant culturaltransfer was the Cumaean variation of Greek alphabet thatwas adopted by the Etruscans. The old alphabet of the Italians slowlyadvanced to modern Latin alphabet which is now being used as the mostcommon alphabet across the globe. Several cities of Hellenicsuch as Acragas, Neapolis, Sybaris and Syracuse weremighty and influential. Cities like Ancona, Tarentum, Bari,Rhegium, Elea, Croton, Syessa, Epizephyrian Locri and a fewothers made up the Magna Graecia. Magna Graecia fellterribly after 282 BC when the Romans startedexpanding their empire. They were also susceptible toattacks from the barbarians. Roman Kingdom The accounts for the RomanKingdom have come down from Dionysius of Halicarnassus,Livy and Plutarch mainly. They mention about Rome being ruledin succession by seven kings. According to the chronology that has beencodified by Varro, a total of 243 years have been marked as their rule which meansan average of 35 years for each king. The Gauls not only destroyed thelands and took lives in the Battle of Allia in 390 BC butalso burnt the written records which could have beenimportant proof about the kings who ruled the landsduring those times.
What remained of the records wereeither stolen or destroyed with time. The myths say that Rome was foundedby Romulus and Remus who were twin brothers and grandsons of theLatin king Numitor of Alba Longa. Roman Republic The Roman Republic wasestablished roughly around 509 BC when the ruleof seven kings ended. By the 4th century Romanstook over the Italian peninsula including theEtruria and the Greeks. The overpowering Romans had toface Carthage in the 3rd century. Although the Carthaginianswere powerful they were unable to subdue theRomans and after the three Punic Wars Rome took overSicily, North Africa and Hispania ultimatelydestroying Carthage. In the 2nd century BC theydefeated the Empires of Seleucid and Macedonia and ruled overthe entire Mediterranean. The conquests led to a fusionamongst the Greek and the Romans. The Romans who were rural nowbecame stylish and lavish.
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The Romans had one big Empire and no enemies. The Roman Republic went through a phase ofsocial turbulence and political emergency. It was Julius Caesar whobrought two more men together to bring backstability in the Empire. Together with Pompeyand Marcus Licinius Crassus, Caesar formedthe first Triumvirate. After the death of Crassusin 53 BC the Triumvirate broke and Pompey andCaesar fought for power. Caesar took over Rome in49 BC but his rule didn’t last long and was assassinatedin the year 44 BC. Once again Rome waswithout a proper leader. Mark Antony took over theleadership of Rome but his affair with Egyptian queen Cleopatra VIIcaused a political upheavel. Caesar’s adopted son Octavianattacked Antony and crushed the Egyptian armies, both Cleopatraand Antony committed suicide. Octavian was now the onlyruler of the Republic. Roman Empire Octavian was the firstemperor of Rome in 27 BC. He was now called Augustus. It was under him thatRome prospered and was at its peak in terms ofmagnificence and glory. Although there was a republican, Augustushad complete control of the Empire.
Roman literature grew fast andpoets like Ovid, Vergil, Rufus, Maecenas and Horace made it possiblefor Latin Literature to flourish. This period is referred to as the Golden Age of Latin Literature. Epics such as ‘Aeneid’and other grand worksof the poets became the gems of the period. Romans witnessed a 200 yearpeaceful and flourishing reign which is referredto as ‘Pax Romana’. Although Rome was a strong Empire theycontinued to extend their boundaries and some of their noted conquestscomprise of – conquest of Britain, conquest of Dacia, conquestof Parthian Empire and also the conquestof Germanic tribes. The death of Emperor Theodosius I in 395marked the end of the mighty Romans as after this Rome was divided intoEastern and Western Roman Empire. For some time Odoacer managedto keep the Western Empire united under his rule for sometime but it was conquered soon. The Western part was pesteredwith Barbaric invasions and was taken over by severalsmall barbarian kingdoms. Middle Ages Italy was distraught and shatteredafter it was conquered by Ostrogoths.
The Gothic War led to diseasesand famine in the country. This also led to the Lombardstaking over the Italian peninsula. In 751 the Lombards captured Ravenna,overthrowing the Byzantine Empire. The Papacy in Rome was now face toface with a new power – the Lombards. They looked forth to the Franksto help them fight the Lombards. The Franks defeated theLombards and the Papacy has the reigns of central Italy intheir hands once again. They established Papal States. The Pope crowned Charlemagne the HolyRoman Emperor in Saint Peter’s Basilica. The successors of Charlemagne were weakand could not uphold the Empire together. Islam rose during thesetimes in North Africa, Arabian Peninsula and Middle East and the southern parts wereunder constant attacks from Abbasid Caliphateand Umayyad Caliphate.
The north was under thepressure of communes. Sicily was under the Islamicrule from 965 to 1061. As the millennium cam end so did the dark times for the Italian peninsula. The cities gained back the irstrength and popularity slowly and the Papacy wasonce again in control. Papacy always facedsome or the other rebellions or conflictsthroughout their rule. These problems were never ending andcarried on till the Medieval Ages. In 1176, the Lombard League ofcommunes finally defeated Frederick Barbarossa in the Battle of Legnanoand established an autonomous rule. The southern part of the peninsulahad a completely different history. The Normans bought and endto 600 year old history of Lombard and Byzantine possession of lands.
It was the Normans who ended the Islamic rule in Sicily. The Norman Kingdom of Sicilywas now ruled by Roger II. Roger II bought together all the smallercities under one powerful rule. He united the southern peninsulainto a large and strong kingdom. A Byzantine Emperor Manuel Komnenons tried to conquer back the lost landsbut was unsuccessful. The Byzantines left Italy in the year 1158. The Norman Kingdom stoodstrong till 1194 before it was taken by the Staufen dynastywhich was a German tribe. Sicily was under the influence of severalsuch dynasties till the 19th century. Italy had a very different form ofadministration that ruled it for centuries. Both church and Imperial peoplehad powers but both had different tracks and none of themintersected each other’s path. The cities and states prosperedand gained fame and wealth through trade which led todevelopment of art and culture. This automatically set in theenvironment for Renaissance.
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Feudalism did not exist anymoreand the society was mostly based on trade and commerce with merchantswho took care of these areas. Republic of Venice was especiallyknown to be thriving with merchants. The Italian cities had an encouragingplace between the East and West which is why it became the hub forbanks, international trading etc. Venice, Florence and Milan werethe leading cities and played an important role in thefinancial uplifting of Italy. There also emerged new types of economicand social organizations in the societies. Maritime was booming and Genoa,Venice, Amalfi and Pisa were among the leading cities whereproduction of ships happened. The ships were extensively built fortrading and the protection of the cities. Genoa and Venice has become Europe’sgateway for trade with the East.
It also controlled trade with Islamiccountries and Byzantine Empire. Florence established itself as anexceedingly systematized financial and commercial city and was Europe’s capitalof banking, wool, jewellery and silk. Renaissance All of Europe was influencedby the thriving art, science, politics, literatureand history of Italy. It was the most significantcenter for Renaissance. In the later part of Middle Agesthe southern and central Italy, those were once throbbing citiesof Magna Graecia and Roman Empire had now degraded and were quite lowcompared to the northern peninsula. Rome was ruined and Papacy hasno control on law and order. The Papacy moved to Avignon in France.
Sardinia, Sicily and Naples wereunder foreign control for some time. The cities of Italy extendedtheir boundaries vastly and now completely controlledthe Holy Roman Empire. The Black Death plaguedthe cities of Italy in 1348 and killed aboutone-third of the population. The phase when the cities recovered from thelosses is when Renaissance and Humanism occurred and Italy took back its positionas a leader in the Western civilization. It was rebirth of notonly urbanization and the economy but also ofthe art and culture. The Italian Renaissance began first inTuscany that was in the city of Florence. Spreading south, the Romansalso were impressed by this and Rome was then rebuilt by thePopes of the Renaissance period.
15th century was whenRenaissance was at its peak and it was then that it wasplagued by foreign invasions. Renaissance began in Florenceand moved to Lucca and Siena. Tuscan painting and architecturebecame model for all the cities in the central andnorthern parts of Italy. Science, Philosophy and Literature The beginning of Renaissanceis seen by Petrarch who is known for the best sonnetsequence of Canzoniere. Another famous person is theauthor of Decameron, Boccaccio. Other poets who were famouspoets and authors were Ludovico Ariosto, Matteo MariaBoiardo and Luigi Pulci. The scholars of the periodstudied the works of classical writers like Cicero, Vitruvius,Aristotle and Plato. Works of Hellenistic, Muslim andGreek writers were added to the library so the Europeanscholars had material to study. Poliziano and Marsilio Ficino made severaltranslations from Greek and Latin works. Barlamm of Seminara and LeonzioPilato were scholar monks. Barlaam had taught Greekto Petrach and Boccaccio. Leonzio was a master translator andtranslated Homer’s work to the word. Baldassare Castiglione in hiswork ‘Book of the Courtier’ wrote down about his vision ofa perfect lady and gentleman. Niccolo Machiavelli is known forlaying down the foundation of modern political philosophythrough is works in ‘The Prince’. The book was highlyconflicting in nature as it did not match the Catholicdoctrines of the time.
Painting, Architecture and Sculpture Some of the renownedpainters of the Renaissance period were Masaccio,Domenico Ghirlandaio, Giotto di Bondone, Michelangelo, Titian,Botticelli, Piero della Francescaand Leonardo da Vinci. Novelty, grandeur and magnificenceare present in every work of architecture that belongsto the Renaissance period. St. Peter’s Basilicaand Tempio Malatestiano,Florence Cathedral are some of the works that live on to tell the taleof the brilliant works of architects such as Andrea Palladio, Brunelleschi,Bramante and Leone Alberti. Aldo Manuzio foundedthe Aldine Press that was famous for printingin the Italic style. The books printed here werepocket-sized and cheap. Unremitting Warfare Most powerful cities of Italy were allsituated in the central and northern parts and among the strongest were Genoa
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Milan, Venice, Florence, Siena, Verona,Pisa and Ferrara. Further up in the north of Italywas the continuous battle between the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire for sovereignty. There were two groups into which everycity had sided – Ghibellines and Guelfs. Wars among the states or citieswere common but incursions from outside Italy were limited to sporadicraids of Holy Roman Emperors. Politics of Renaissancedeveloped from this backdrop. From the 13th century the armies of thecities mainly constituted of legionnaires. The cities were rich andcould afford forces. By the 15th century all the powerfulcities amalgamated the smaller areas. Verona and Padua were taken by Venice,Pavia and Parma along with several smaller places was taken by Duchy of Milan andPisa was taken over by Florence in 1406. Wars were a constantaffair and the armies that fought for the lands wereknown as condottieri. The condottieri were soldiersfrom Switzerland and Germany and they were ledby Italian captains. The condottieri did not want to risktheir lives unnecessarily and the wars turned to cordons and manipulationsand the battles became less. The condottieri playedsmart and continued the conflicts as this was theirmeans of employment now. If not paid on time the mercenarieswould turn on against their employers.
There were many occasions when themercenaries thought of overtaking the state because it was they on whothe citizens were dependant on. Genoa, Venice and Pisawere at war at seas too. Several years of conflict finallydeclared Genoa as winner over Pisa. Venice was more powerful thanGenoa as by the 15thcentury the Genoese started to declineand Venice ruled the seas. Milan, Florence and Venice dominatedthe lands and the Peace of Lodi written in 1454 finally bought astop to the never ending wars. For the next forty years therewas peace in the peninsula and Venice’s hold on the seas alsosaw peace till the 15th century. Italian Wars Italian Wars began in 1494 whenFrance invaded northern Italy and there were several statesthat lost their independence. The main reason for the warswas dispute among dynasties between Kingdom of Naplesand Duchy of Milan. This dispute slowly increasedand gave fire to fiercer battles which includedmore states and alliances.
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Charles V led the French armies atBattle of Pavia in 1529 and War of the League of Cognac that lastedfor four years – 1526 to 1530. Years of wars and battlescould not decide a winner and ultimately with the Peaceof Cateau-Cambrésisthe French relinquished itsclaims and instated a long Spanish dominationover the peninsula. The Turks attacked the vicinity on Venicein 1499 and destroyed the neighbourhoods. It was attacked again in 1509by the League of Cambrai. The German and Spanishtroops sacked Rome on May 6, 1527 and destroyed the cityexcept for the Papacy. Abbruzzi and Apulia were sacked in 1528. 1529 and 1530 saw the siegeof Florence which brought about destruction to theneighbouring environs. Italy’s trade was ruined and most ofthe citizen’s wealth was confiscated. The population became half. Wool and silk industries that wereonce booming were devastated. Ransom that was paid to the invaders andtaxes charged bared Italy completely. The recovery would beexcruciating and long. Early Modern History The period of 17th centurywas an unbridled time that was marked by politicalupheaval and social unrest. This was because of theSpanish effect on the Italian peninsula, thepower of Papacy, the reaction of Catholicsagainst the Protestant reformation and CounterReformation of Catholics.
Although there were severalaccomplishments in the fields of arts andsciences which included the Baroque style of painting and discoveriesmade by Galileo in the field of astronomy there was an inclusive declinein the economy of Italy. Italy undoubtedly had someof the best explorers who led to severalimportant discoveries. Amerigo Vespucci, ChristopherColumbus and Giovanni da Verrazzano are the famous namesin the list of discoverers. Despite their fame Venice and other Italianports were no longer considered as important as the main hubs were nowmoved towards the West in the Atlantic. 30 years of war in which the Spanish wereinvolved between 1618 to 1648, financed their armies by levying heavy taxeson the Italians and drained them dry. Their commerce and agriculturesuffered tremendously. 1630, the Black Death returnedand emaciated Milan and Venice. About 25% of the population waslost to the horrific plague. Another plague in 1656claimed the lives of about 43% of the population inthe Kingdom of Naples. The French Army of Italy led by Napoleoninvaded Italy in 1796 and between 1797 and 1799 Napoleon had conquered almost all ofItaly and called it French Revolution.
He was based in Milan andset up new rules laws. The Roman Republic was formed andthe Pope was sennce. He formed the Kingdom of Italy in1805 and declared himself King. Netherlands was madeBatavian Republic by the French and Switzerland wasnow Helvetic Republic. All of them had to pay subsidies to Parisand also give military support to Napoleon. Administration and politics werebettered, Jewish ghettos were abolished, trade barriers were brought downand metric system was introduced. Piedmont and Belgium werenow main parts of France. Napoleon later took Dalmatia andVeneto and added to his Kingdom. Ligurian Republic was alsoforced to merge with France. Slowly Kingdom of Naples,Marche and Tuscany were also made a partof Kingdom of Italy. The Europeans allied themselves anddefeated Napoleon on April 6, 1814. He was sent on an exile to Elba. This resulted in the Congress of Vienna. Napoleon escaped and came back toFrance where Joachim Murat was in rule. He asked the Murat to convincethe Italians to fight for him but the Italians were not persuadedto fight along his side. People rebelled againstMurat and killed him. The Kingdom of Italy felland many kings who were ruling before Napoleon cameback to their thrones.
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States were now independent and now Italywas under a period of restoration. Unification of Italy - 1814 to 1861 The social and politicalprocess that unified the Italian peninsula isknown as Risorgimento. Although there is nospecific date that can be said about this unificationbut scholars say that it began with the Congressof Vienna in 1815 and ended with theFranco-Prussian War in 1871. There were many disputes among theleaders on when it came to unification. The unification started happeningonly after the revolutions of 1848. Italian nationalistGiuseppe Garibaldi took the lead in the Italian drivefor a united Italy. Italy made allies with France and Britainwhich also helped in the unification. The southern parts of Italywere considered to be backwards while the northern parts ofItaly were much modernised. The people of South were not asked togive their views in important matters.
The misunderstanding and gap led to civilwars which lasted for ten long years. By the time these revolts endedmillions moved to South America, United States and more industrial citiessuch as Turin, Genoa and Milan. Liberal Italy - 1861 to 1922 King Victor Emmanuel II united mostof the states of the peninsula. The main builders of unified Italywere the Chief Minister of Victor Emmanuel, Camillo Benso, GiuseppeGaribaldi and Count of Cavour. The Prussian Prime Minister offeredVictor Emmanuel II to annex Venice that was controlled by Austria inexchange for Kingdom of Prussia. He agreed to the alliance and it led tothe Third Italian War of Independence. Austria lost and Venice wasadded to Italy once again. The only thing that came in theway of unification was Rome.
In 1870, Italy took over the PapalState, ultimately unifying Italy. The capital of Italy wasmoved from Florence to Rome. 19th century saw industrialisation at itsboom and modernisation was speeding. Agostino Depretis took overItaly as the Prime Minister and implemented a new political ideawhich he called “Transformismo”. Transformismo was all about acabinet that was to pick several reasonable and proficient politiciansfrom a non-partisan outlook. But this was not so,Depretis pressurised the districts to vote for thosewho would favour him. He banned public meetingsand all those who posed a threat were exiled andsent to remote islands. Some of the things of that can be countedas the positive side of him were that the elementary education was made free,arrest for incurring debt was stopped, and compulsory religiousteachings were also stopped.
He was forced to resign in 1877however, he was back in 1881. He was once again thrown out in 1887 whenthe country faced continuous decline. World War I and Italy Initially Italy chose to remainquiet on taking sides but later on the London Pact made it declarewar in Austro-Hungarian Empire. Italy was promised hugeterritories in exchange. Although the army was huge but it waspoorly supplied and even more poorly led. The effectiveness of the war waspitiable and continued for three years. In 1916, Italy declared waron Germany and the Austrians who already had highergrounds got more privilege. Thousands of Italian soldierswere killed and more injured. The government had to bring back Italyto a higher level so it increased the labour wages and introduced collectivebargaining and insurance schemes.
The industries began to expandalthough the industrial wages matched the risinginflation, the farmers suffered. The residents in the ruralareas were not happy. The Treaty of St. Germain announcedItaly as victorious and awarded it. The Pact of London didnot give Italy it’s said territories so the triumph wasthought to be ‘mutilated’. Fascism in Italy Benito Mussolini was thefounder of Fascist Party. He has participated in the World War I andwas working with Socialist newspapers. He later broke off and established Fascidi Combattimento on March 23, 1919. Period of 1919 and 1920 was seenas a period of time of strikes, political instability,unemployment and economic crisis. The strikes were not only amongthe industries and factories but also among the peasants and farmersin the rural parts of Italy. The National Fascist Partymanaged to suppress all these rebellions and tried to bringpeace and order in the country. In the October of 1922 Mussolini put forthhis demands when there was a strike.
He told the governmentto give the power to the Fascist party or Italywould have to face a coup. A group of 30,000 Fascistsmarched from Italy to Rome and said they wouldrestore order in Italy. They asked the then ruling Prime MinisterLuigi Facta to be replaced by Mussolini. Even though King Victor EmmanuelII had a much powerful army than the Fascists the political systemwas going through a crisis. He had to choose between the Fascists orthe Marxist, he filtered down to Fascists. Once the Fascists were in power, Mussolinipassed a law that stated two-thirds of the seats would be given to the partythat would manage to get 25% of the vote. The 1924 election wasnot pleasant as the Fascists forcefullyreached the goal of 25%. Benito Mussolini cleverly removed anyobstacles that checked his power and finally in 1926 he passed a law that he was the onlyperson who was responsible to the king. All the local governments weredissolved and officials were appointed while the mayors andcouncils were thrown out. In 1928 there were no partiesexcept for the Fascists. The Latern Accord of 1929 wasa treaty that recognised Pope as the authoritativeperson of Vatican City only.
Vatican now had an independent status andbecame an important centre of the world. The treaty also stated that Catholicismwas the only religion of the state. Other religions were tolerated as well. The bishops and priests were given salariesand church marriages were recognised. The religion was taught in schools now. The bishops promised theirloyalty to the Italian state. The church was not obligedto follow Fascism and the differenceswere always there. However, the peace continued withthese small differences too. Mussolini vowed to makeItaly the biggest power in Europe and hold powerin Mediterranean Sea. There was an equally powerfulman who was Adolf Hitler. Mussolini and Hitler met in 1934. Mussolini wanted anassurance from him that the Nazi’s would not tryand control Europe. Mussolini decided toattack Ethiopia in 1935 and Second Italo-AbyssinianWar stemmed in the international isolation ofItaly, becauseBritain and Francenow lost their trustin Benito Mussolini. World War II Germany’s invasion of Polandmarked the World War II.
Although he supported Hitler BenitoMussolini said that he was neutral. Mussolini along with the Fascistswanted to seize Middle East and Africa. He was warned by the King aboutthe army not being efficient enough for a long term war andto fly the weapons and tanks. Mussolini took the advice and waitedwhen France was attacked by Germany. France lost and it was now thatMussolini entered in the war. Mussolini expected to speedilyseize Savoy, Nice, Corsica, and the African colonies of Tunisiaand Algeria from the French, but Germany signed an armistice withMarshal Philippe Pétain instituting Vichy France, which reserved controlon southern France and colonies. This resolution infuriatedthe Fascist government. Italy couldn’t stand any frontsand was losing continuously. By 1943, there were many battles they lost. On July 25, 1943 Mussolini was arrestedby King Victor Emmanuel III’s order. The National Fascist Partywas banned and a new prime Minister was appointed -General Pietro Badoglio.
Mussolini was saved by a Germancommando in the Operation Eiche. The Fascists helped the Nazis inseveral ways but they finally lost. Mussolini was caught on April25, 1945 and was executed for treason the next day, thus endinga long Fascist rule in Italy. Italian Republic On June 2, 1946 the republican won 54%of vote and this made Italy a republic. The House of Savoy werebarred from entering Italy, this bar waslifted only in 2002. By 1950, Italy was stabilized and,in 1957, the economic and commerce developed soon and Italy wasfinally free from her troubles. Wars and revolts, battlesand rebellions had left the country weakbut it recovered soon. The country is now leading inglobal trade and commerce. Italy became one of the foundingmembers of the European Economic Community, it isnow the European Union. There have been many changesin the government after the Republic and today Italyis a thriving country. Italy has been marked by chaptersof momentary long separation and union of futile kingdomsand intercommoned conflicts. With its 60 million residentsthe country now enjoys peace, have developed culture andhigh standards of living. It is now a prosperous country and hasdeveloped a high sense of growth compared to the early years of 20th century whenthe country was dependant on agriculture.
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Tourism has now prospered andits capital Rome happens to be in the list of tourist’sfavourite place of visit. Not to forget the fashion hub – Milan. Milan has been the center of music,learning, art and culture since antiquity. It also happens to be the best placeto taste the region’s top cuisines. Another important city locatedin the Ligurian Gulf is Genoa. One of the most importantplaces which is also of great religious importanceis the Vatican City. Vatican is always thronged bytourists throughout the year.
The city of love, the city of canals, thecity of bridges or the city of masks call it what you like– Venice is one ofthe most romantic escapades for couples. It is addressed as the “La Serenissima”and the “Queen of Adriatic”. Literature, art, culinary, music, religionand philosophy seem to thrive in Italy. The country has preservedits reminiscences from the wondrous painters and sculptors of ancient times. ancient history of italy Italy has in store somerare and extraordinary gifts for the peopleof the world.
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