Silvio Berlusconi Death: A Controversial Legacy and the End of an Era
Silvio Berlusconi, the billionaire businessman who created Italy’s largest media company and transformed the political landscape, has passed away, leaving behind a legacy marked by legal battles, sex scandals, and political dominance. Berlusconi had been in ill health for several months, facing various health challenges.
In 2020, Berlusconi contracted COVID-19 and was hospitalized, describing it as one of the most difficult ordeals of his life. Then, in April 2023, doctors revealed that he was battling leukemia and a lung infection, which led to his admission to a Milan hospital for preplanned tests related to his condition.
The news of Berlusconi’s death has left a significant void in Italian politics. Guido Crosetto, the Italian defense minister, expressed his sorrow on Twitter, describing Berlusconi as a great man and expressing his deep affection for him. Crosetto’s sentiments echoed the feelings of many who admired and supported Berlusconi despite his controversial reputation.
Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party was a coalition partner with the current prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, a far-right leader who assumed power last year. However, Berlusconi himself did not hold any official position in the government. Alan Friedman, the author of a biography on Berlusconi titled “My Way,” emphasized the former prime minister’s historic significance in post-war Italian history, stating that he was a pioneer of populism in Italy and both loved and loathed by his followers.
The final moments of Berlusconi’s life were marked by a quiet night in the hospital. However, things quickly took a turn in the morning as his close relatives were summoned. Shortly after, the hospital released a statement confirming his passing after his battle with leukemia, which had seen him spend six weeks in the hospital earlier in the year.
Berlusconi’s impact on Italian politics and society cannot be underestimated. Considered a kingmaker in politics, his party, the right coalition, remains in power under the leadership of Meloni. He was the longest-serving prime minister in Italy and left a lasting imprint on the country through his media empire, Mediaset, which transformed television and daily life for many Italians.
Despite his accomplishments, as Berlusconi grew older, he faced criticism for his perpetual tan, hair transplants, and relationships with girlfriends who were significantly younger than him. Nevertheless, he seemed untouchable for many years, as criminal cases launched against him often ended in dismissals due to Italy’s slow-moving justice system or his success on appeal.
Investigations targeted Berlusconi’s scandalous “bunga bunga” parties involving young women and children, as well as his extensive business empire, which included AC Milan, Italy’s three largest private TV networks, magazines, a daily newspaper, and advertising and film companies. Only one case resulted in a conviction, relating to tax fraud in a movie rights sale within his business empire. Although the conviction was upheld in 2013, Berlusconi was spared prison due to his age and instead ordered to perform community service by assisting Alzheimer’s patients. However, he was stripped of his Senate seat and barred from running for public office for six years under anti-corruption laws.
Despite these setbacks, Berlusconi remained at the helm of Forza Italia, the center-right party he founded in the 1990s, named after a popular soccer cheer. With no clear successor in sight, the party started to lose its appeal among voters. Berlusconi, at the age of 82, made a political comeback by being elected to the European Parliament and, later, to the Italian Senate in the previous year.
In recent years, Berlusconi’s party was overshadowed by the rise of the League, led by anti-migrant populist Matteo Salvini, and subsequently by Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, rooted in neo-fascism. After the 2022 elections, Meloni formed a governing coalition with the help of these parties.
Berlusconi also faced personal humiliations, including losing his status as Italy’s richest man, although his extensive media holdings and luxury real estate still left him a billionaire several times over. Alan Friedman, the author of Berlusconi’s biography, characterized him as a controversial figure who failed to make significant economic reforms in Italy, focusing more on self-preservation. Berlusconi’s legacy will be remembered as that of a brilliant but flawed figure in Italian history.
As Italy mourns the passing of Silvio Berlusconi, the country reflects on the impact he had on its politics, media landscape, and society as a whole. While opinions on his legacy may be divided, there is no denying the indelible mark he left on the nation he served for decades.