Silvio the quirky

If you have been following the news, you have probably read that Silvio Berlusconi has died, the man who dominated Italian politics in the late ’90s and throughout the 2000s.

Crude yet charismatic, incompetent yet extremely capable, humorous, corrupt, and bizarre, Silvio Berlusconi was a contradictory figure and a character to say the least.

He was born in Milan in 1936 into an average middle-class family. He studied law and initially worked as a singer on cruise ships to support himself. Later, he ventured into business and became a prominent real estate developer in Milan, constructing residential complexes like Milano 2. He then capitalized on the complete lack of entertainment due to the state monopoly on television and, after the government allowed the emergence of private television channels first at the local level and then nationally, Berlusconi built a true media empire starting with the TV channel of his complexes.

Thus, from the 1970s onward, Berlusconi was a true media mogul and one of the wealthiest individuals in Italy, with his television channels capturing over 90% of the market share. In addition to all this, in 1986, he became the owner of the A.C. Milan football club, rescuing it from bankruptcy and leading it to victory in several European championships, which made Berlusconi a favorite among football fans.

After achieving success in business and becoming practically synonymous with media in Italy, Berlusconi entered politics and founded Forza Italia in 1994, a right-wing populist party with a loosely defined ideology that took its name from a football slogan supporting Italy. In the 1994 elections, this new party shocked everyone by winning over 40% of the vote, and Berlusconi became the prime minister.

His first term as prime minister ended in less than a year when Berlusconi had to resign due to issues related to financial fraud and corruption. In the next election, Berlusconi and his party did not return to power, but than regained power in 2001, with Berlusconi serving as prime minister between 2001 and 2006, as well as between 2008 and 2011.

Berlusconi’s tenure as prime minister can be easily summarized: corruption, scandals, accusations of orgies and sexual relations with minors, ridiculously humorous diplomatic gaffes, and mediocre and neglectful governance.

But let’s take them one by one. Berlusconi had legal troubles throughout his political career, being accused, among other things, of tax evasion, abuse of office, bribery, money laundering, and embezzlement. He was found guilty and sentenced to prison, but did not serve time due to his advanced age. On the non-financial side, he was accused of sexual relations with minors and encouraging underage prostitution.

Another aspect for which Berlusconi was known was his bombastic and profoundly undiplomatic behavior. For example, he would flirt on television with any woman in front of him and behaved at summits as if he had come to have a drink with other leaders, not to discuss serious issues. Some of the most well-known moments include describing Barack Obama as the “tanned one” or when, after his limousine brought him to a meeting with Angela Merkel, he walked in the opposite direction and spent a few minutes with his back to Merkel and one hand in his pocket to finish a phone call.

And although it may sound hard to believe, the so-called “Teflon politician” phenomenon was present in his case as well. Through charisma and the use of his controlled media, Berlusconi managed to prevent these very serious accusations from sticking to him and affecting him.

In terms of governance, Berlusconi led mediocrity, and his ideological vagueness was reflected in how he governed, worsened by the 2008 economic crisis. Italy’s economy stagnated for the most part, debt increased, and in 2008, it received a powerful blow.

Thus, we can see that Prime Minister Berlusconi brought more bread and circuses than economic development and solutions, and his populism on the issue of migration and immigration brought tensions and divisions in society.

In conclusion, Silvio Berlusconi was an interesting and unique character, but in many ways, he was repellent and even disgusting. He, the populist and shocking billionaire superstar, was actually the pre-Trump Donald Trump and served as the benchmark for this type of politician. His energetic bravado and unique and often indecent charisma had the almost unique talent of making people overlook his immense political and personal flaws.

 

Extra info:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB9Rgqxi93A