home » europe » italy » history

a short history of Italy

Brief History of Ireland

There are excavations and remnants in Italy which reveal that humans were present there as far back as during the Paleolithic period, or approximately 200,000 years ago. During the 7th and 8th Centuries BC, the island of Sicily and the southern parts of today's Italy were inhabited by the Greeks. Ancient Rome, which at first was a small community founded around the 8th Century BC, later merged with the Ancient Greek to form one huge empire that covered the entire area of the Mediterranean Sea. The Roman Empire was so strong and powerful that it had an influence over and is today the basis for modern philosophy, law, administration, and the arts. The Roman Empire existed for twelve centuries, during which it changed into a republic, then a monarchy and an autocracy. In the 2nd Century AD, the empire broke into two parts, eastern and western. Under the pressure of the Goths, the western part of the once powerful Roman Empire dissolved into several small independent kingdoms, while the eastern part remained to preserve what was left of the Roman Empire. The Italian Peninsula was captured for a short period by the Byzantine Emperor, the Ostrogoths and the Germanic tribe the Lombards. In the early Middle Ages, Italy was under the rule of the Carolingians, the Ottonians and the Hohenstaufens.

In 1348, the state was devastated by the Black Death, which killed one third of its population. Italy remained divided until the 19th Century, and the regions that developed were those of Comune and Signoria. At that time were formed the strongest families in Italy, in the political and economic spheres of the country, these being the Della Scala family in Verona, the Medici family in Florence and the Visconti family in Milan. It was during this period that Italy had city-states which had a strong merchant class and enjoyed much artistic development. Such city-states included Genoa, Venice, Pisa and Amalfi. They traded with silk, wool, Venetian glass and jewelry. During the 15th Century, Italy, and more precisely Florence, became the birthplace of the Renaissance. Dante Alighieri, Giovanni Boccaccio, Francesco Petrarch, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo lived and worked during this period. In 1494, Italy was invaded by the French King Charles VIII, which lasted until the 16th Century and was followed by a struggle between Spain and France over the territories. When Spain prevailed, Spanish dominance was established over the Kingdom of Naples and the Duchy of Milan, and all Proestant movements were persecuted. When the Peace of Utrecht was signed, the role of Spain was taken over by Austria.

Under Austran rule, the northern part of Italy developed fast and enjoyed economic growth. When the French Revolution broke out, followed by the Napoleonic Wars, ideas of democracy, freedom, nation and law spread throughout the continent, including Italy. This provoked the local nationalists and monarchists serving the Savoy House to form a united kingdom all over the Italian Peninsula. Thus, war was declared on Austria. The southern part of Italy was led by Giuseppe Garibaldi, and the northern part by Conte di Cavour Camillo Benso from the Kingdom of Piedmont in Sardinia. In the Second Italian War of Independence, being supported by Napoleon III, the Italians liberated the area of Lombardy. In the year 1866, Victor Emmanuel II led the Third Italian War of Independence, aligning to Prussia during the Austria-Prussian War and annexing Venice as a result. When France abandoned its position in Rome as a result of the Franco-Prussian War, Italy took over the Papal State. This was followed by moving the capital to Rome and unifying the country at last. Northern Italy was industrialized, and Southern Italy as well, forcing many people to go abroad in search of a better life. In the last two decades of the 19th Century, Italy colonized Eritrea, Somalia, Libya and Didecanese. The Socialist Party became very strong in 1913. In the First World War, Italy remained neutral at first, but in 1915 signed the London Pact and entered the Entente. The war led to the collapse of the economy and the death of more than half a million Italians. When the Peace Treaty of Saint Germain was signed, Italy received Trieste, Istria, Trente and South Tyrol. The end of the First World War led to the Russian Revolution, anarchy and turmoil. Due to the fear of a Socialist revolution in Italy, a small National Fascist Party was formed, with its leader being Benito Mussolini.

In the next few years, Mussolini managed to ban all political parties and thus created a dictatorship. His further actions included a subjugation of Ethiopia, which resulted in international alienation and its first pact with Nazi Germany in 1936, followed by a second one two years later. Italy supported the dictator Franco during the Spanish Civil War, and Hitler during his annexation of Austria and Czechoslovakia. In the spring of 1939, Italy officially entered the Second World War. In October 1940, Mussolini invaded Greece but was soon defeated. This action by Mussolini led to an allied counter-attack and the Italian loss of possessions in the Horn of Africa. In June 1943, the country was invaded by the Allied forces, which led to the collapse of the fascist regime of Mussolini, and in September of the same year the country surrendered, only to be invaded by its former ally, Germany.

Italy was liberated at the end of April 1945, shortly before the war ended. During the next year, 1946, a referendum was organized and Italy became a republic. The famous Marshall Plan, which came into effect in 1949, helped the Italian economy to revive and later enjoy steady growth. Some years later, Italy became one of the founding members of the European Union. The mid-1990s weren't easy for Italy, as it had to deal with a massive government debt corruption and organized crime.