The Archipelago: Italy Since 1945

"Yes, this book is an ideal starting point for a reader with limited knowledge of recent Italian history. It’s a very detailed and well-researched chronicle of Italian history after 1945 and the fall of fascism. It doesn’t cover politics alone, it also focuses on other factors that have shaped Italian society: the rise of consumerism, the football industry, music, cinema, all sorts of things. It’s a very good overview. I read a review which said that this book is very good on the description of what happened but does not focus so much on why it happened. For that, you’re better off looking at the first two books. Giorgia Meloni is the first female prime minister of Italy. She is the founder of Fratelli d’Italia , Brothers of Italy, a right-wing sovereigntist party. In terms of her popularity, remember that this was an election with the lowest turnout ever, at under 64%. Normally it’s 70 or 80%. Of those who voted, she got 26% of the votes. This is a factor you have to consider. She was the only candidate who hasn’t been in office in the last 10-15 years, so I think people partly voted for her by exclusion. So far, she’s acting in a conservative way. In terms of economic reforms, she’s following the EU completely. When it comes to Ukraine , she is following NATO . The problem is, she wants to leave a mark and if she keeps following the EU or NATO, that’s not going to happen. There’s a bit of concern, within most media outlets as well as the opposition, about the moves she is making on civil rights and immigration . She also likes to talk about the ‘natural family,’ which is quite funny because most of her cabinet are divorced or have children outside marriage. Also, she likes to call herself the ‘underdog’ in English, because there is no Italian equivalent. At the same time, her government is putting forward a bill to fine anyone who uses English on official documents."