Silvio Berlusconi - Research Paper Example

These are the personal scandals, but he was also convicted in Italian courts of more serious scandals – tax fraud and wiretapping violations. Yet, Berlusconi managed to always retain power, even after losing power, by regaining it through media manipulation. He virtually owns the media in Italy, so he was able to make the Italian people believe that in his story, the way that he would spin it. Meanwhile, he has tarnished his critics with allegations against them. The media manipulation is apparently still afoot, as Berlusconi, as recently as the February 2013 elections, came within 1% of the popular vote for Prime Minister.

This essay will examine Berlusconi’s rise to power, his scandals, and why he still is a popular figure, even after all he has been accused of. Discussion Silvio Berlusconi is one of the most corrupt men to ever assume the mantle of Prime Minister, in Italy or any other place in the world. His origins were humble, however. According to the BBC News (2013), Berlusconi began his business career selling vacuums and singing on a cruise ship. He graduated from law school in 1961, and, ten years later, he launched a local cable-television outfit, called Telemilano, which grew into Mediaset, which is one of Italy’s biggest media empires. . not last long, for he lost the 1996 election, amid a collapse of his government, seven months into his term, because, in part, Berlusconi was indicted for tax fraud in a Milan court.

He came back into power in 2001, before being defeated again in 2006, then returning to office in 2008 under the People of Freedom party (Profile: Silvio Berlusconi). Berlusconi came to power in 1994 by assuring the Italians that he represented a different kind of leader from what they were accustomed to, according to Donadio & Povoledo (2011). He stated that Italy did not have freedom and was too ruled by the past, in their economics and their social issues. The old political parties, before Berlusconi came to power, were the Christian Democratic Party and the Communist Party, and Berlusconi represented something different than what these two parties were offering.

Berlusconi was offering himself as a leader, and his qualifications, according to Donadio & Povoledo (2011) was his immense wealth. He was re-elected in 2001 because he was able to deliver, to every doorstep, a magazine-sized volume, titled “An Italian Story” regarding his life. This print offering showcased Berlusconi as a self-made businessman, a family man and a ladies’ man, while showing his love for soccer (Donadio & Povoledo, 2011). Donadio & Povoledo (2011) argue that Berlusconi was popular because he was seen as the sort that the Italian man would admire and want to emulate – somebody who was charismatic, sexually powerful and wealthy.

Donadio & Povoledo (2011) state that Berlusconi was able to come to power, and keep power, for another reason – he controlled the media. Because he controlled the media, he controlled how he was portrayed to the people. He began with a broadcasting company, Mediaset, which