A Look at Italy in History

Early Settlers in Italy

The earliest important settlers in Italy were Etruscans. The Etruscans built settlements in the northern region of Italy prior to the sixth century B.C. Rome, known as The Empire, had been decided to extend its influence across the world, and thus made the Mediterranean advertisement, employing the Mediterranean Sea for transaction of food, timber, tin, cotton and silver along with other great nations.

A Spiral Downward

Pressures from without and discord from within contributed to the devastation of the empire by the fifth century. The Germans assumed power of Italy, representing the Eastern Emperor at Constantinople. They tried to keep the Roman lifestyle alive, however. Following a couple of modifications in power, Italy became divided into several nations by the late sixth century.

Over the upcoming millennium, Italy turned into a complex land together with all the Holy Roman Empire and the Papacy taking control in the north and many different groups of people taking over in the south, for example Muslims, Normans, Bourbons and many others.

Medieval Period in Italy

Charlemagne took charge of northern Italy through the eighth century. Throughout the rest of the Medieval period, his successors attempted to reestablish imperial power as Rome had no success.

Florence, Milan, Genoa and Venice became independent cities throughout the 11th century. Meanwhile in the South, Muslims took control of Sicily through the ninth century, Normans took over in 1059, who controlled most of the south.

Throughout the 12th century, Italy became an excellent center of civilization for Europe while under the ruler of Roger II. Throughout the 15th century, the popes had tremendous influence over the diplomacy of Italy, also this period started to blossom in art and culture, thus causing the Italian Renaissance. Writers such as Aristio, Guicciardini and Machiavelli came into surface, and popes supported artists such as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael.

From the 16th century to the 18th century, the Spanish began to influence Italy more than the French Milan, Sicily and Naples being dominated from the Hapsburgs. Smaller states in Italy changed hands frequently, however, the large states kept their liberty.

Following the Enlightenment of the 18th century, Hapsburg rule was opposed. In 1861, Victor Emmanuel II was crowned as the first King of Italy, and Florence became the capital. Venice and Rome weren't annexed completely until ten years later. Italy was declared a republic in 1946, together with the Christian Democrat Party (DC) function as the dominant party through the years.

Political and Economical Status of Italy Today

Italy today elects a President for a seven-year duration. A Prime Minister is appointed by the President, who is usually the leader of the dominating party. Since 1945, Italy has increased rapidly in engineering and manufacturing. Agriculturally, berries, wheat, sugar beet, grapes and maze are key plants in Italy today. Italy is a leading wine producer in the world. Italy also conducts trade with European Union partners as well as other countries like Saudi Arabia, Libya, Canada, Russian Federation, United States and parts of Latin America.

Tourism in Italy is powerful, and there are lots of hot tourist areas and cities that thrive on travellers each year. Resorts, museums, restaurants and attractions are seen in nearly every city and along many beaches in Italy. As history has shown, Italy's influence in Europe has been amazing, and remains powerful today.

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