Silvio Berlusconi
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Silvio Berlusconi (1936 – 2023) was an Italian media tycoon, politician, and statesman.
He was known for his populist political style, brash personality and uncouth speech, calling at one time Angela Merkel a "culona inchiavabile" ("unfuckable lard ass").
In his long tenure, he was often accused of being an authoritarian leader and a strongman. Berlusconi remained a controversial figure who divided public opinion and political analysts. Supporters emphasized his leadership skills and charismatic power, his fiscal policy based on tax reduction, and his ability to maintain strong and close foreign relations with both the United States and Russia.
In general, critics address his performance as a politician and the ethics of his government practices in relation to his business holdings. Issues with the former include accusations of having mismanaged the state budget and of increasing the Italian government debt.
The second criticism concerns his vigorous pursuit of his personal interests while in office, including benefitting from his own companies' growth due to policies promoted by his governments, having vast conflicts of interest due to ownership of a media empire, with which he restricted freedom of information, and being blackmailed as a leader because of his turbulent private life.
