Analysis of Articles. Social Sciences. Book Report

Student’s Name:
Professor’s Name:
Course:
Date:
Analysis of Two Articles
The geographical dynamics of politics in Italy have separated the country politically. Different regions hold different values and ideas affecting the electoral process. Political parties gain appeal in some regions and lose popularity in other areas due to the policies they chose to uphold.  To get a popular vote, one must find a tactic that can create a general appeal in all geographic regions. Shin and Agnew in their article Introduction: Berlusconi’s Italy focus on Prime Minister Silvio, who gained power through popularity. In Tracing the roots of Civic Community, Putnam, Leonardi, and Nanetti discuss the aristocratic rule of Frederick the second. These two articles present two different leaders in different periods that implemented strategies that blurred the geographic political divide in Italy.
Introduction: Berlusconi’s Italy covers the strategies and the political ruling of the former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Since 1994, Berlusconi has dominated the political arena. The country fell into turmoil in 1990 when investigations that were conducted on the major political parties unearthed corruption scandals that tainted the parties’ image and influence.  Berlusconi grabbed the opportunity and formed his political party, Forza Italia, named after the national football team’s chant. Also, he created various center-right political parties which he could easily influence. This was the first time the parties were introduced to Italy’s politics. Berlusconi managed to bring these parties into the political spotlight by utilizing the resources he had as Italy’s media heavyweight. He also used football to gain national appeal. He owned AC Millan and made connections with the country’s national football team. This provided him an audience that his competition could not compete with. He also gained favor in the eyes of voters who were not keen on the intricate details of the country’s political climate but were more concerned with the immediate problems that the government could solve for them (Shin and Agnew 2).
With the fall of the major political parties, Berlusconi gained the political advantage. Potential rivals had their careers tainted by the corruption scandals. However, this was not his biggest advantage. The three biggest private Italian television stations were the tools he used to gain an advantage as they presented him an audience his competition did not have access to. The stations gave him access to a nationwide audience his adversaries could not access. The point illustrates the power the media holds. Having control over this avenue presents a medium to gain common support over different regions that have different political ideals (Shin and Agnew 10).
The geographic ideological separation of the different regions in Italy had not always been present. In Tracing the Roots of the Civic Community, Putnam, Leonardi, and Nanetti discuss the medieval era in Italy, when the country’s political structure was revered. The new regime implemented by Norman mercenaries in Sicily was...