Sfondo d'Italia : Italy's Background

Italy has been changed or influenced by many invaders that established colonies in land, making Italians adapt new forms of performing simple and complex tasks. Different things that have occurred are still occurring have changed Italy. Its history stretches back over long periods of time.

Italy was mostly dominated by the Etruscans (9th century), until they were overthrown by the Roman Empire (3rd century). After this, Most of Italy was under the control of the Romans. For many centuries, the history of Italy was the same as the one of the Romans, until they were overthrown by the barbarian invasions (4th and 5th centuries). Form this point one, the Holy Roman Empire, the Roman Catholic Pope, the Normans, and the Saracens have fought to rule different areas of Italy. Many city-states then flourished by the late Middle Ages. Even though Italy remained politically in fragmented, it became the cultural center of the Western World for many centuries.

Italy's history includes a wide variety of health issues, the first being the "Black Plague," which arrived at Europe on 1347. The next major outbreak of disease in Europe occurred in 1495 when French troops in Naples began showing signs of what is now known as "Syphilis." A major disease that broke out was one now called as the "Influenza" or "La Grippe," as it is known in P.R. Every country that had people with this disease blamed it on their neighboring country. On 1979, a mysterious disease broke out known as the "Dark Disease,"which then was classified as an incurable disease. It was said that the disease was a respiratory disease and is considered deadly for infants under 1 year old. In January 2001, the first case of "Mad Cow Disease" was discovered. In 2005, another woman died of the same disease and it was said that she got infected by eating contaminated beef, but it was unsure because the doctors did not know if the patient had eaten the meat in Italy or while traveling. These are only some of the most recognized diseases that have been discovered in Italy.

Poverty in Italy also is something that really stands out. In the1998, the amount of people living in Poverty in Italy included 2,558,000 families, this being 7,423,000 million individuals. This number may seem a lot, mostly because it is but, by the end of the 1980's, the number of people living in poverty was higher. This number represents 14 percent of the population. The contrast between the North and South side of Italy is very noticeable and the difference between both sides continues to increase. To help those in need, the states provides simple necessities that include housing, water, health care, and education.

Several presidents have taken office throughout Italy's history, helping it to overcome struggles and form the country into what it is today. These are the 11 presidents that Have ruled the Italian Republic:

1. Enrico de Nicola: (January 1st, 1948- May 12, 1948) Gained Power after fascism ended. Was elected as one of the nominees to govern and won with 80% of the votes. During his reign, he had to step down claiming health issues. 
2. Luigi Einaudi: (May 12, 1948- May 11, 1955) Was the second President of the Italian Republic. Was a member of many cultural, economic and university institutions and supported European Federalism. 
3. Giovanni Gronchi: (May 11, 1955- May 11, 1962) It was marked by the ambition to bring about a gradual “opening to the left”, whereby the Socialists and the Communist Party would be brought back into the national government, and Italy would abandon NATO, becoming a non-aligned country.
4. Antonio Segni: (May 11, 1962- December 6, 1964) Segni was a moderate conservative opposed to "opening to the centre-left" enabling coalition governments between the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) and the Christian Democrats.
5. Guiseppe Saragat: (December 29, 1964- December 29, 1971) Was an Italian Christian Democratic politician who served as the 32nd Prime Minister of Italy. He was also President of the European Parliament after the death of Alcide De Gasperi.
6. Giovanni Leone: (December 29, 1971- June 25, 1978) He was forced to resign from his position following his involvement in the Lockheed Bribery Scandal. 
7. Alessandro Pertini: (July 9, 1978- June 29, 1985) He had strong beliefs and was physically beaten by Fascist squads on several occasions, but never lost faith in his ideals.
8. Francesco Cossiga: (July 3, 1985- April 28, 1992)He started his political career during World War II. It was not until his last two years as President that Cossiga began to express some unusual opinions regarding the Italian political system. He opined that the Italian parties, especially the DC (his own party) and Italian Communist Party, had to take into account the deep changes brought about by the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War.
9. Oscar Luigi Scalfaro: (May 25, 1992- May 15, 1999) Was a member of the Christian Democratic party and was voted as to be a part of the senate for life.
10. Carlo Azeglio Ciampi: (May 18,1999- May 15, 2006) He would often addressed general issues, without mentioning their connection to the current political debate, in order to state his opinion without being too intrusive.
11. Giorgio Napolitano: (May 15, 2006- Present(2011)) He became the first ex-communist elected to be the President of the Italian Republic. He came out of retirement to accept.

Enrico de Nicola

Luigi Einaudi

Carlo Azeglio Ciampi

Giorgio Napolitano

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