Product Description

Silvio Berlusconi's personal conduct lends itself easily to lampooning, but, as Paul Ginsborg argues in this updated paperback edition of his acclaimed biography, his reliance on force of personality and media savvy alongside a laissez-faire political stance adds up to a corrosive combination with far-reaching consequences for the future of Italian democratic politics.
Furthermore, his trajectory has a lot to teach us about crucial trends emerging on the worldwide stage. The personalization of politics at a time of crisis in representative democracy, the growth of influential media dynasties, the promotion of a model of family life dependent on commercial television and shopping: these are themes which will ring bells of recognition with readers worldwide. Ginsborg suggests that Berlusconi's opportunistic grasping of power is a consequence of significant weaknesses in contemporary left-wing politics, a trend rapidly becoming ubiquitous.
Combining the techniques of classic biography with razor-sharp political and social analysis, Ginsborg handles the complexities of the Italian political and media arenas deftly, whilst never losing sight of what this might mean on a global scale.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #176903 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

The Sunday Times
`A compelling hatchet job…. Admirable precision and succinctness'

Synopsis
Silvio Berlusconi's personal conduct lends itself easily to lampooning, but his reliance on force of personality and media savvy alongside a laissez-faire political stance adds up to a corrosive combination with far-reaching consequences for the future of Italian democratic politics. This edition presents his biography.

About the Author
Paul Ginsborg is the author of A History of Contemporary Italy and Italy and its Discontents. He teaches history at Florence University.