Forza Italia
Introduction
The world of Italian politics is a multi-faceted system that is comprised of a rich historical foundation paired with innovative present day movements. As Italy transitioned from the First Republic to the Second Republic a shift in mind set occurred. Politicians moved away from traditional parties and embraced the idea of political movements. One of the most recognized political movements, Forza Italia led by Silvio Berlusconi, emerged in 1993 (Paolucci, 163). Forza Italia brought a new dynamic to Italian politics and focused on being a “catch-all party” (Paolucci, 164) as opposed to catering to one specific group of people. Forza Italia’s novel ideology and leadership style along with Berlusconi’s media powers are…show more content… There are many elements to Berlusconi’s leadership style. First and foremost, Berlusconi is very charismatic. His charisma and strong public speaking ability have been very imperative both in the formation and success of Forza Italia. When Berlusconi presents in front of an audience it isn’t simply a speech, but rather a performance. His performances are expert distractors, they deviate from the main point of conversation and highlight unimportant issues. For example, many people would vote for Berlusconi simply because they love his winning football team, A.C Milan as opposed to the platforms and ideals he…show more content… Berlusconi’s ideals were Forza Italia’s ideas, the two entities became one and lead an entire group of people to support their values, ethics and principles. Andrej Zaslove notes that “Privatizations signify business and large geo-political choices” (134) and that this is often very dangerous. This is because it allows potential for politicians to make decisions out of their own interests instead of making wise choices for the party as a whole. In later years it was evident that Berlusconi did just this. For example, his overwhelming power and control over media ensured that the messages broadcasted over Italian televisions would be pro Berlusconi and Forza