Italy: a young republic

When we  think of Italy the first thing that comes to mind is its extraordinary history, art, and culture. It is a land that basically molded the modern world as we know it, exporting the Greek culture from its splendor all the way to England, and eventually across the ocean. From the Roman Empire to Marco Polo, from Columbus to Amerigo Vespucci, and from medieval times to the Renaissance, Italy has always played a key role that one way or another affected the world. However, few realize that Italy is a very young Republic; as matter of fact it is one of the youngest in the world. It became a unified nation under the king only in 1861 and it wasn't until after World War II, in 1946 following a controversial referendum, that Italy changed into what it is today. Centuries of divisions, battles, and wars finally ended under a new constitution and a democratic system. During the monarchy, Turin first and then Florence were the capitals until finally the country settled on Rome as the natural site to represent the entire country.

 

 

Italy's young age, despite its ancient history, has often manifested in major social and political problems as many Italians still don't have a sense of patriotism in terms of a nation, although each is quite attached to his or her own region. A common language, mandatory military service for the men, and a common school system through the country have helped to move the sense of nation forward, but only recently is a certain sense of nationality truly taking shape. Let's not get it wrong here, Italians are very proud of being Italians but they are not as unified as the Americans or the French. Besides the difference between the North and South, there are also many divisions between cities that are next to each other, often due to rivalries that go back of hundreds of years.

 

This creates a great deal of instability and an identity crisis that is far from being entirely resolved. Italy never really had a revolution, no civil war on its way to becoming a nation, therefore many differences remained undisputed, creating social tensions. This is quite a paradox considering all the beautiful things that Italians have done worldwide, but it is a real problem. One hopeful sign is the remarkable economical achievements that the country has had since the 1950s, a sign that its strong sense of commerce continues to prevail. After all, banks and finance were invented in Tuscany. This affinity for business led Italy to be a permanent member of the G7 even though it still doesn't have a strong political structure.

 

For a couple of decades, Italy has been trying to change parts of its constitution but is facing serious problems particularly because many of those who worked on it are still alive. A number of them are still sitting in Congress, or are their close friends and relatives. One of them, Giorgio Napolitano, is actually the current President.

 

Today Italy is home to approximately 60 million people, and it is opening its borders to many immigrants that at the moment are about 5% of the entire population. This creates a demographic shift that, added to the low birth rate registered in Italian families, might lead in the next two generations to make Italians a minority in their own country. Of course, the Roman Empire was originally made of millions of foreigners and it lasted for centuries as an empire and has morphed into today's Italy. If history is any indication, the soul of Italians will survive, and the Italian culture will continue to thrive no matter what.

 

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