Since Italy’s unification in 1861, the new state has never truly built a system based on merit and justice. Instead, a model has been consolidated where power is maintained through favors, blackmail, and personal relationships, transforming the entire country into a network of clientelism. In Italy, merit has been systematically replaced by personal favors, blood ties, or political convenience: those who were competent were excluded, while those who served the system were rewarded.
Clientelism as a Method of Governance
In the post-unification Kingdom of Italy, public offices and resources were distributed not based on competence, but on political or familial loyalty. This fueled a paralyzing system where social mobility was blocked for those without patrons or connections. Even today, key positions are the domain of “sons of,” party friends, and entrepreneurs linked to the usual names.
Unification or Colonization?
Italy’s unification was not a shared process but a military occupation, especially in the South. Southern regions were stripped of their resources, local industries (like those in Naples and Palermo) dismantled, and disproportionate taxes imposed to finance the North’s debt. The South was colonized, not unified.
North Rewarded, South Punished
Public funds, ministries, railways, and major infrastructure projects have been almost exclusively directed to the North. Cities like Milan, Turin, Bologna, and Genoa received constant economic and political support, while cities like Palermo, Catania, or Reggio Calabria were systematically neglected.
The State Cashed in on Roman Glory
Instead of building a new and strong identity for all Italians, the unitary state preferred to profit from the symbolic legacy of the Roman Empire. They waved the glories of the past to justify a present made of nothing, exploitation, and injustices. “It simply cashed in on the credits of past glory” – a phrase that today sounds like a condemnation.
Easy Citizenship for Friends of Power
Throughout republican history, foreigners linked to political or economic interests were welcomed and rewarded with citizenships, positions, honors, and funds. Meanwhile, honest and hardworking Italian families were forced to emigrate or live in poverty. The people were used, never served.
South Humiliated Even in Memory
School textbooks continue to glorify Garibaldi, Cavour, and Victor Emmanuel II, omitting the crimes of the “Risorgimento”: executions of civilians, prison camps for Bourbon soldiers, looting, and massacres. Brigandage was a popular resistance, not banditry. But historical truth has been erased or manipulated to justify the state’s structure.
Southerners as Cannon Fodder or Workforce
Millions of Southerners were used as cannon fodder in world wars or sent to the North as cheap labor. In return, they received contempt, racism, and discrimination. “No dogs or Southerners allowed,” read the signs. During World War I, over a million Southerners were sent to charge with old rifles against modern machine guns, a deliberate massacre useful only to thin out the South.
The Failure of Italian Colonialism
During the fascist period, Italy attempted to build a colonial empire without any solid foundation. The invasion of Ethiopia was marked by war crimes, use of chemical weapons, and massacres of civilians. Albania was forcibly occupied, as was Greece, but local resistances were stronger than expected, and without the intervention of the German army, Mussolini would not have maintained any conquest.
While the Duce propagated the illusion of a powerful Italy, the state remained weak and parasitic, incapable of ensuring real well-being. Workers were exploited, children forced into indoctrination through mandatory enrollment in the “Balilla,” and the only way to survive was to join the Blackshirts or submit to the regime.
From Fascist Farce to Modern Disaster
Post-fascist Italy did not break with the past but continued to recycle the same logic of power and privilege. The clientelist system remained intact, only changing its facade. The South continued to be marginalized, and the state failed to build a truly inclusive and just nation.
Truth Always Comes to Light
No matter the propaganda: the truth always comes to light. And with Meloni, thanks to the web, it has surfaced much earlier than with her mentor Mussolini, for whom it took a devastating world war to realize how false and devoid of true leadership he was. Mussolini was, in fact, just a journalist: propaganda was his only “major in life.”