As reported Italian media on Monday, former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who is currently serving as a senator in the Italian parliament, passed away at the age of 86. cause of his death was immediately known. During planned medical checkup week, hospitalized chronic leukemia.
The Italian media tycoon held various terms as the country’s prime minister commencing in 1994. His flamboyant way of life had an impact on popular culture, but his roughness, crudeness, populist approach and ongoing legal issues defiled political standards and damaged Italy’s standing worldwide. Berlusconi relished being in the spotlight and boasted about starting his career as a singer on cruise ships before venturing into construction and real estate to create a vast empire that comprised TV networks, newspapers, publishing firms, one of the finest soccer teams among other ventures.
The origin traced back to a 1970s game show in which a correct answer from a caller would result in the removal of an article of clothing by a housewife present in the studio. Erik Gandini, director of Videocracy, reflects on how at that time it seemed unlikely that this strip-tease program would eventually lead to the establishment of both a vast media empire and political order; one where the owner became prime minister.
In the 1980s, it grew into the largest media empire in Italy, Mediaset, allowing Berlusconi to expand into publishing, the newspaper Il Giornale and the soccer club AC Milan. He molded an adoring audience into a virtual electorate with soap operas and scantily clad showgirls on his networks.
Berlusconi’s to politics opened by political scandals
When the political establishment fell due to bribery scandals in the mid-1990s, Berlusconi stepped in to fill the void. With his rags-to-riches story, he sold Italians a rosy vision of prosperity.
Berlusconi swept to power in 1994. Although the government collapsed within seven months, he proved to the world that humility was not one of his virtues for the next two decades. He exclaimed, “I am by far the best prime minister Italy has ever had.” Berlusconi entered politics in an attempt to protect his empire. embroiled in legal troubles through the 1990s, from false testimony to investigations into ties with the Sicilian Mafia.
According to Maurizio Viroli, a politics and government professor at the University of Texas – Austin, Berlusconi’s power was akin to tyranny and unprecedented in democratic or liberal countries throughout history. Berlusconi cultivated relationships with Vladimir Putin and Moammar Gadhafi, but his appearance- including his permanent tan, hair transplants, and facelifts- often elicited ridicule from abroad.
A conviction for tax evasion led to his expulsion from parliament in 2014, bringing an ignominious and definitive end to his political career. Berlusconi 77 when he was imprisoned, sentence was shortened four hours assisting dementia patients. The Italian economy stagnated and debt spiked when he left office.
