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| Country : Italy Official name: Repubblica Italiana (Italian Republic) Head of State: President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (since May 1999) Head of government: (Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (FI) (since 2001; sworn in again 23 Apr 2005) Ruling party: Centre-right coalition from 23 Apr 2005: Forza Italia (FI) (Italian Force), Alleanza Nazionale (AN) (National Alliance), Lega Nord (LN) (Northern League) and Unione dei Democratici Cristiani e dei Democratici di Centro (Union of Christian and Centrist Democrats) and allied parties Area: 301,277 square km Population: 56.15 million (2004) Capital: Rome Official language: Italian Currency: Euro (eur) = 100 cents (from 1 Jan 2002; previous currency lira, locked at L1,936.27 per euro) (Campione d'Italia, an Italian enclave near Lake Lugano in Switzerland, uses the Swiss franc, although the euro also circulates) Exchange rate: eur0.77 per US$ (Nov 2004) GDP per capita: US$25,137 (2003) GDP real growth: 0.50% (2003) Labour force: 23.90 million (2003) Unemployment: 8.90% (2003) Inflation: 2.80% (2003) Oil production: 107,000 bpd (2003) Balance of trade: US$1.21 billion (2003) |
Historical profile
In the sixth century BC, the first Roman republic in the peninsula was founded.
It eventually became an empire, encompassing most of Western and Central Europe,
parts of Africa and the Middle East. By the fifth century AD, little of the
Roman Empire survived and the peninsula became a feudal society before being
conquered by Western European powers.
1796–1806 The French, under Emperor Napoléon Bonaparte, occupied Italy. The country was carved up between Napoléon, his relatives and Pope Pius VII.
1814–15 Following Napoléon's defeat by the Austrians, British, Prussians and Russians, Italy returned to its feudal status under the terms of the Congress of Vienna. Parts of Italy were also handed to Austria.
1848–70 A rise in nationalism and rebellion against Austrian rule eventually resulted in the creation of a partly unified Italy in 1861. Rome, which was still under French rule, was captured by Italian nationalists and it was proclaimed the capital of a unified Italy, under the King of Piedmont-Savoy, in 1870.
1914–18 Italy fought alongside the Allies in the First World War. Ensuing disorder and economic weakness fostered the rise of Benito Mussolini and the Partito Nazionale Fascista (PNF) (National Fascist Party).
1919 Italy gained Trentino, South Tyrol, and Trieste, which had been parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
1922 After Italian fascists marched on Rome, Mussolini and the PNF were invited to form a government by the Italian King, Vittorio Emmanuele III.
1924–26 Mussolini increased his prime ministerial powers, effectively making his rule a dictatorship.
1929 Three Lateran Treaties granted Roman Catholicism special status in Italy. The Vatican City state, under the rule of the Pope, was created within Rome.
1935–39 Italy invaded Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) in 1935 and supported General Francisco Franco's nationalists in the Spanish Civil War between 1936–39.
1940–42 Italy was part of the Axis powers, assisting Nazi Germany's military campaigns in Europe and Africa. Italy also invaded British Somaliland in East Africa in 1940.
1943 Allied forces invaded southern Italy and its African colonies. Mussolini was removed from government, imprisoned, and Pietro Badoglio was appointed prime minister. After escaping from prison, Mussolini declared the creation of the Repubblica Sociale Italiana (Social Republic of Italy) in German-controlled northern Italy.
1945 The fascist regime collapsed as the allies liberated the whole of Italy. Mussolini was executed by Italian partisans.
1946 In May, Emmanuele III abdicated from the Italian throne and was temporarily replaced by Umberto II. After a referendum in June, the Italian monarchy was abolished and a republic was declared. Enrico De Nicola was appointed as temporary head of state.
1948 De Nicola was elected the Republic's first president. The constitution, which established a parliament, was promulgated.
1949–82 There followed a succession of short-lived coalitions involving the Democrazia Cristiana (DC) (Christian Democrats) and up to four other major parties, frequently producing several regroupings and new cabinets in a year.
1983–87 Bettino Craxi, of the Partito Socialista Italiano (PSI) (Italian Socialist Party), headed the longest-running post-war Italian government.
1989 The DC returned to government and Giulio Andreotti became prime minister for the third time.
1992–93 Italy had two prime ministers in two years, Giuliano Amato and Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. Both were forced to resign after political and corruption scandals.
1994 After being elected prime minister in March, the controversial Silvio Berlusconi of the Forza Italia (FI) (Italian Force) resigned in December. A transitional government was formed led by independent Lamberto Dina.
1996 The centre-left Ulivo (Olive Tree) coalition won the parliamentary elections and the coalition's leader, Romano Prodi, was appointed prime minister.
1997 A constitutional reform commission, drawn from both houses of parliament, altered the Italian political system by introducing direct elections for the office of president.
1998 The Democratici di Sinistra's (DS) (Democrats of the Left) Massimo d'Alema succeeded Romano Prodi, who resigned after parliament rejected the budget.
1999 The government fell and d'Alema resigned. He was reinstated by the newly-elected president, former prime minister Ciampi.
2000 D'Alema resigned again after poor municipal election results and was replaced by Giuliano Amato, heading a new centre-left 12-party coalition government.
2001The Casa delle Libertà (House of Freedom) coalition won the parliamentary elections and Silvio Berlusconi became prime minister for the second time. A referendum on constitutional changes to give more power to the regions was approved by voters.
2002 Italy replaced the lira with the euro currency. The introduction of the euro divided the government coalition and led to the resignation of the pro-euro foreign minister, Renato Ruggiero.
2003 Protests against layoffs at Fiat resulted in nationwide strikes. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi went on trial for bribing judges; however, in June, a bill was passed by parliament which grants the five most senior figures in government, including the prime minister, immunity from prosecution while in office.
2004 In January, the Constitutional Court threw out the aforementioned law and the Prime Minister's trial resumed in April.
2005 On 20 April, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi handed in his resignation, pledging to form a new government. On 23 April, at the request of President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, Berlusconi formed his government with the key ministries unchanged; the government won a vote of confidence in the Chamber of Deputies on 27 April (334–240).
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