Demographics
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Population: 58,126,212 (July 2009 est.)
Population Growth Rate: -0.047%
Birth rate: 8.18 births/1,000 population
Death Rate: 10.61 deaths/1,000 population
Median Age: total: 43.3 years male: 41.8 years female: 44.8 years
Sex Ratio: 0.96 male(s)/female
Infant Mortality Rate: 5.51 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy (at birth): total population: 80.2 years
male: 77.26 years female: 83.33 years
Fertility rate: 1.31 children born/woman
Ethnic Groups: small clusters of German-, French-, and SloveneItalians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the
south
Demographics (Cont.)
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 90% (approximately; about one-third practicing),
other 10% (includes mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing
Muslim immigrant community)
Languages: Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige
region are predominantly German speaking), French (small Frenchspeaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene (Slovenespeaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area)
 Literacy (ages 15 and over can read and write):
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total population: 98.4%
male: 98.8%
female: 98% (2001 census)
Facts About Italy
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Area: 301,230 sq km (slightly larger than Arizona)
Climate: predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry
in south
Natural Resources: coal, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite,
asbestos, pumice, fluorspar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas
and crude oil reserves, fish, arable land
Land Use: arable land: 26.41% permanent crops: 9.09% other:
64.5% (2005)
Current Environmental Issues: air pollution from industrial
emissions such as sulfur dioxide; coastal and inland rivers polluted
from industrial and agricultural effluents; acid rain damaging lakes;
inadequate industrial waste treatment and disposal facilities
Italian History
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485: Italy was invaded by Attila the Hun. Pope Leo I
dissuaded Attila from sacking Rome
568: The Lombards, a Germanic tribe, invade Italy which is
divided into three regions ruled by the Lombards, the
Eastern Roman Empire and the Papal States
553: The old Roman Empire was reunited by Justinian, the
Byzantine emperor
572: The Byzantine rule collapses after an attack by the
Lombards
756: Pepin the Short, a Frankish King conquers the
Lombards for the popes
756: The Papal States were established in central Italy
774: The Lombards defeated by Charlemagne
800: Charlemagne crowned Roman emperor
Italian History cont.
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962: Otto the Great, the king of Germany, was crowned emperor
establishing the Holy Roman Empire
1000s - 1400's: Independent city-states are established
1519: Charles I of Spain became Emperor Charles V of the Holy
Roman Empire
1700s: Spanish rule passed to Austrian rule
1789: The French Revolution
1796: Napoleon defeated the Austrian rulers
1804: Napoleon declared himself the emperor of Italy
1814: Napoleon abdicated his throne and Italy was broken up into
small kingdoms
1820s-1850s: Small revolutions in the kingdoms - Venice, Rome
and Tuscany declare themselves Republics
1849: Austria regains control of most of Italy
Italian History cont.
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1860: Northern Italy was joined to the Kingdom of Sardinia
March 17 1861: The Kingdom of Italy was formed under the
leadership of Giuseppe Garibaldi
1861: Victor Emmanuel II crowned king
1870: Kingdom of Italy unified
1911: Italy defeats the Ottoman Empire
1914: World War I
1915: Italy joins the war on the side of the Allies
1918: The Allies win WW1
28 October 1922: The Fascists named Benito Mussolini the Prime
Minister of Italy
1925: Benito Mussolini becomes the dictator of Italy
Italian History cont.
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1936: Mussolini and Hitler sign an agreement known as the
Roman-Berlin Axis
1939: Italy conquers Albania and Mussolini sides with Hitler
and Fascist Germany
8 September 1943: Italy surrenders to the Allies in WW II
13 October 1943: Italy declares war on Germany
1945: Mussolini was shot
August 1945: The United States dropped atomic bombs on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
1945: End of WW11
10 June 1946: Italy abolishes the monarchy and establishes
a republic
Italian History cont.
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1948: the Christian Democrats win the first elections in Italy
1957: Italy, Germany, France and others found the European
Community
1957: Enrico Mattei coins the expression "Seven Sisters"
referring to the seven major Anglosaxon oil companies (the
four owners of Aramco, Gulf, Shell, BP)
1968: Student riots in France escalate into a national
uprising, soon followed by similar protests in Germany and
Italy
1986: A referendum shuts down Italy's nucler power plants,
turning Italy into the world's biggest importer of electricity
1992: the Mafia kills top figures of the Italian government in
Sicily
Italian History cont.
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1992: Italian magistrates begin arresting politicians for
"Tangentopoli" (Bribesville), corruption scandals multiply and
"Mani Pulite" ("clean hands") investigations spread
throughout the political system
1993: investigations by magistrates reveal widespread
corruption in the Christian Democratic party and cause the
collapse of the political order
1994: Italy's richest man, Silvio Berlusconi, who is under
investigation for bribes, wins the elections
2004: Parmalat, which accounts for almost 1% of Italy's
GDP, collapses due to mismanagement
2005: Italy enters a recession
2005: Prime minister Silvio Berlusconi is acquitted of past
frauds, thanks to laws that he himself introduced after he
became prime minister
Italian History cont.
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2006: An Italian minister is forced to resign after provoking
Muslims riots
2006: Silvio Berlusconi loses national elections to Romano
Prodi
2006: Bernardo Provenzano, head of the mafia, is arrested
in Sicily after a man hunt lasted 43 years
2007: Spain's per-capita income passes Italy's
2008: Berlusconi wins elections and becomes prime minister
again
2008: Italy's enters the fourth recession in seven years and
its deepest since 1992
Government
Form: republic
 Capital: Rome
 Constitution: passed 11 December 1947, effective 1 January
1948; amended many times
 Divisions (15 regions and 5 autonomous regions*):
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Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia*,
Lazio (Latium), Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Piemonte (Piedmont), Puglia
(Apulia), Sardegna* (Sardinia), Sicilia*, Toscana (Tuscany), Trentino-Alto Adige*
(Trentino-South Tyrol), Umbria, Valle d'Aosta* (Aosta Valley), Veneto (Venetia)
These are subdivided into a total of 94 provinces
Can be voted out by a vote of no confidence from both houses
 There have been over 60 government turnovers since 1945
 In the 1990s, Italy went from a single-party-dominated system to a
more multi-party system
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Judicial System
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based on civil law system
Independent branch of government
appeals are treated as new trials
judicial review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court
Constitutional Court (or Corte Costituzionale): composed of 15
judges: 1/3 appointed by the president, 1/3 elected by parliament,
1/3 elected by the ordinary and administrative Supreme Courts
Supreme Court of Cassation (Corte Supreme di Cassazione): the
highest court of appeal in all cases except those concerning the
constitution
Also includes district courts, tribunals, and courts of appeals
Executive Branch
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President (chief of state): Giorgio Napolitano (since 15 May 2006)
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Elected for a 7 year term by a joint session of Parliament augmented by 58 regional representatives
Must be at least 50 years old
Usually has little to do with the actual running of the government (Prime Minister’s job)
Formal Powers: nominate head of government and ministers, dissolve parliament, call elections, promulgate laws,
send messages to the Chambers, some nominations…
Prime Minister (head of government): Silvio Berlusconi (since 8 May 2008)
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in Italy the prime minister is referred to as the president of the Council of Ministers
Chosen by the president and must have the confidence of Parliament/ the Council of Ministers
Usually the leader of the party that has the largest representation in the Chamber of Deputies
Elected by secret vote in a Joint Meeting of the two Chambers
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cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and approved by the
president
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elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of both houses of
parliament and 58 regional representatives for a seven-year term (no term limits);
election last held 10 May 2006 (next to be held in May 2013); prime minister
appointed by the president and confirmed by parliament
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election results: Giorgio Napolitano elected president on the fourth round of
voting (electoral college vote: 543)
Presidents of the Italian Republic
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Enrico De Nicola :1 January 1948-12 May 1948 Italian Liberal Party
Luigi Einaudi :12 May 1948-11 May 1955 Italian Liberal Party
Giovanni Gronchi :11 May 1955-11 May 1962 Christian Democracy
Antonio Segni :11 May 1962-6 December 1964 Christian
Democracy
Giuseppe Saragat: 29 December 1964-29 December 1971 Italian
Democratic Socialist Party
Giovanni Leone: 29 December 1971-15 June 1978 Christian
Democracy
Alessandro Pertini: 9 July 1978-29 June 1985 Italian Socialist Party
Francesco Cossiga: 3 July 1985-28 April 1992 Christian Democracy
Oscar Luigi Scalfaro: 28 May 1992-15 May 1999 Christian
Democracy
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi: 18 May 1999-15 May 2006 No party affiliation
Giorgio Napolitano: 15 May 2006-Present Democrats of the Left
Temporary Heads of State
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Alcide De Gasperi: 12 June 1946-1 July 1946 Christian Democracy
Enrico De Nicola: 1 July 1946-1 January 1948 Italian Liberal Party
Cesare Merzagora: 10 August 1964-29 December 1964 Christian
Democracy
Amintore Fanfani: 15 June 1978-9 July 1978 Christian Democracy
Francesco Cossiga: June 1985-3 July 1985 Christian Democracy
Giovanni Spadolini: 28 April 1992-28 May 1992 Italian Republican
Party
Nicola Mancino: 15 May 199-18 May 1999 Italian People's Party
Legislative Branch
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Parliament is responsible for creating legislation and passing laws
bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of:
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the Senate or Senato della Repubblica :upper house;
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the Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati: lower house
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630 seats
members elected by popular vote with the winning national coalition receiving 54% of chamber seats
to serve five-year terms
politically more influential
must be al least 25 years old
elections:
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315 seats (plus 10 seats reserved for life members—includes past presidents and their nominees);
members elected by proportional vote with the winning coalition in each region receiving 55% of seats from that region;
to serve five-year terms;
must be at least 40 years old
Senate - last held 13-14 April 2008 (next to be held April 2013)
Chamber of Deputies - last held 13-14 April 2008 (next to be held April 2013)
2008 election results:
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Senate - seats by party
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S. BERLUSCONI coalition: 174 (PdL 147, LN 25, MpA 2),
W. VELTRONI coalition: 132 (PD 118, IdV 3),
UdC: 3
Other: 6
Chamber of Deputies - seats by party
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S. BERLUSCONI coalition: 344 (PdL 276, LN 60, MpA 8)
W. VELTRONI coalition: 246 (PD 217, IdV 29)
UdC: 36
Other: 4
Voting
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Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial elections,
where minimum age is 25)
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In the1990s, a number of public referendums were passed that
mandated a more direct electoral system as a result of growing
corruption. Under this system:
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75 percent of all seats were filled by direct candidate ballot
the remaining 25 percent were distributed by proportional representation.
In December 2005 the parliament voted to reform the electoral law
to reinstate full proportional representation. Under this system:
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three separate thresholds for parties and coalitions to qualify for seats in parliament
were introduced
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smaller parties that belong to a coalition must obtain at least 2 percent of the national vote,
stand-alone parties must obtain at least 4 percent
coalitions as a whole must obtain at least 10 percent.
Political Parties
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Christian Democratic Party:
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Forza Italy (“Go, Italy”):
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led by Silvio Berlusconi
formed in 2007 as a merger between Forza Italy and the National Alliance
won election in 2008 (was held 3 years early)
Lega Nord or LN: led by Umberto Bossi
Movement for Autonomy or MpA: led by Raffaele Lombardo
Democratic Party or PD:
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led by media magnate Silvio Berlusconi
emerged as leading part of center-right coalitions and won the elections of 1994 and 2001
allied with the far-right National Alliance (a successtor of the neo-Fascist Italian Social
Movement) and the Northern League (advocated increased regional autonomy)
People of Freedom or PdL:
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part of 52 consecutive coalitions that ruled since 1948
dissolved in 1994
formed 2 separate parties (the Popular Party and the Christian Democratic Center Party)
led by Walter Veltroni
formed by the Italian Communists (one of the largest Communist parties in Western Europe)
renounced past and adopted more modern policies
won the elections of 1996 and 2006
the Communist Refoundation continued to espouse Marxist principles
Italy of Values or IdV: led by Antonio di Pietro
Union of the Center or UdC: led by Savino Pezzotta; non-allied party
Political Culture
ELITE BEHAVIOR
POLITICAL
CULTURE
Consensual
Conflictual
Homogeneous
Depoliticized
Democracy (e.g.
US)
Consociational
Democracy
(Belgium, Low
Countries,
Austria)
Centripetal
Democracy (UK,
New Zealand)
Centrifugal
Democracy
(Germany,
France, ITALY)
Fragmented
Political Culture
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Based on class/caste system
High unemployment rate — differences between rich
and poor are significantly noticeable between the north
and south
Resent intrusions into private and family life
Catholic Church is deeply involved
Elections becoming so ideologically polarized
Does not a support a stable and effective democratic
system
Voters feel dissatisfied by past political paralysis,
massive government debt, extensive corruption, and
organized crime’s considerable influence
Main political cleavages: ethnicity, class
Bureaucracy
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Love red tape; they have invented official papers and
stamps for every possible occasion and purpose
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Generally they only speak Italian
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Two types:
 State central administration
 Quasi-public administration
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State bureaucracy is considered inefficient
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Prefects: representative of the central government in
the provinces
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Have been, for the most part, controlled by the
Christian Democratic Party during its period of power
Economy
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GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $1.821 trillion (2008 estimate)
GDP (official exchange rate): $2.399 trillion (2008 estimate)
Growth Rate: -0.7% (2008 estimate)
GDP – per capita: $31,000
Composition by Sector:
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agriculture: 2%
industry: 26.7%
services: 71.3%
Unemployment Rate: 6.8%
Inflation Rate: 3.6%
Agricultural Products: fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar
beets, soybeans, grain, olives; beef, dairy products; fish
Industries: tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food
processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics
National Debt: $1.06 trillion ( as of December 31, 2008 )
Military Expenditures: 1.8% of GDP (2005 estimate)
Military
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Has been greatly expanded since Itay joined NATO in 1949
In 2006, the Italian permanent armed forces totaled 191, 152
people
 Army: 112, 000
 Navy: 34,000
 Air Force: 45, 152
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Branches
 Italian Army (Esercito Italiano, EI)
 Italian Navy (Marina Militare Italiana, MMI)
 Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana, AMI)
 Carabinieri Corps (Arma dei Carabinieri, CC)
Transnational Disputes
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International: Italy's long coastline and developed economy
entices tens of thousands of illegal immigrants from southeastern
Europe and northern Africa
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Illicit Drugs: important gateway for and consumer of Latin
American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the
European market; money laundering by organized crime and from
smuggling
Foreign Policy
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Supports EU integration (was one of the founders)
More than 10,000 troops in peace-keeping abroad
Support institutional reforms of the EU in order to bring about greater
transparency and effectiveness
Stood behind Bush when he tried to disarm Saddam Hussein’s regime
Under Mussolini, Italy was to become a world power and to show how
robust Italians were
Desires a “special relationship” with the United States
Member of:
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NATO (strong supporter)
U.N.
OSCE
OECD
WTO
Hosts the NATO Defense College in Rome
Leading partner in the war on terrorism
Leads the UN mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
Major Islands
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Sicily: 17,134 sq. miles; population = 4,972,124
- largest island in the Mediterranean
- economy based on agriculture
- capital city = Palermo
- main religion = Catholicism
- highest point = Mt. Etna at 10,902 ft
- Provinces = Agrigento, Caltanisetta, Catania, Enna, Messina,
Ragusa, Palermo, Syracuse and Trapani
Major Islands
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Sardinia: 9,301 sq mi; population = 1,670,219
- 120 miles west of the Italian peninsula
- second largest island in the Mediterranean
- largest river = Tirso (94 miles long)
-average life expectancy = 81.1 years
- main religion = Roman Catholic
- Provinces = Cagliari, Carbonia Iglesias, Medio
Campidano, Nuoro, Ogliastra, Olbia Tempio, Oristano,
Sassari
MAFIA !
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believed to have emerged in late 19th century in Sicily
In 1925, Benito Mussolini initiated a campaign to destroy the Mafia
and its political allies.
Each group is known as a "family", "clan" or "cosca“
A prospective mafioso is carefully supervised and tested to assess
his obedience, discretion, ability and ruthlessness. He is almost
always required to commit murder as his ultimate trial.
A mafioso is not supposed to introduce himself to another mafioso.
Omertà is a code of silence that forbids
members from cooperating at all with
the police or prosecutors should they
be arrested.
Ten Commandments of the
MAFIA
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No one can present himself directly to another of our friends.
There must be a third person to do it.
Never look at the wives of friends.
Never be seen with cops.
Don't go to pubs and clubs.
Always being available for Cosa Nostra is a duty - even if your
wife is about to give birth.
Appointments must absolutely be respected.
Wives must be treated with respect.
When asked for any information, the answer must be the truth.
Money cannot be appropriated if it belongs to others or to other
families.
People who can't be part of Cosa Nostra: anyone who has a
close relative in the police, anyone with a two-timing relative in
the family, anyone who behaves badly and doesn't hold to
moral values.