Paul Ginsborg

Political parties have lost swathes of members and effective power is ever more concentrated in the hands of their leaders. Behind these trends lie changing relationships between economics, the media and politics. Electoral spending has spiralled out of all control, with powerful economic interests exercising undue influence. The 'level playing field', on which democracy's contests have supposedly been fought, has become ever more sloping and uneven. In many 'democratic' countries media coverage, especially that of television, is heavily biased. Electors become viewers and active participation gives way to mass passivity. Can things change? By going back to the roots of democracy and examining the relationship between representative and participatory democracy, political historian Paul Ginsborg shows that they can and must.

La corrupción, el poder excesivo de los partidos políticos y el desapego de los votantes hacia la política son muestras flagrantes de la crisis que padece la democracia parlamentaria. Una crisis que el sistema parece incapaz de resolver por si solo.El papel de la ciudadania no se limita al voto depositado en las urnas.

¿Cuál es la verdadera historia que se esconde tras el éxito de Berlusconi? ¿Cómo se ha hecho con tan vasto imperio mediático y el gobierno de la República de Italia? ¿Qué hay detrás de sus escándalos y procesos judiciales? En este magnifico libro, Paul Ginsborg, uno de los mas reconocidos historiadores britanicos del momento, explica de manera sintetica y clara cuales son los hilos conductores que han hecho de Silvio Berlusconi el mas importante hombre de negocios de la Italia contemporanea y, ademas, actual presidente del Consejo de Ministros. Preciso y agudo en sus razonamientos, el autor descubre la maraña de intereses economicos y vinculos comerciales que han guiado las acciones de Berlusconi en los ultimos treinta años, ya sea como empresario o como politico. Ademas, el libro es un brillante analisis de la cultura italiana de las ultimas decadas, aquella que ha encumbrado a Berlusconi al poder, y de las resistencias que su gestion ha encontrado, tanto en Italia como en Europa.Sucinto y lucido este pequeño libro tiene un gran objetivo, mostrar que elementos de la cultura italiana contemporanea han producido y promocionado a Berlusconi, como empresario y primer ministro, y que puede hacerse para acelerar su final politico.International Herald TribuneMeticulosamente investigado una notable contribucion.Financial TimesIrrebatible Ginsborg muestra como la combinacion de populismo antidemocratico y poder mediatico de Berlusconi le convierte en una gran amenaza para la democracia.IndependentUna sucinta y lucida narracion.New York TimesPenetrante e inquietante un magistral estudio del principal historiador britanico de la Italia contemporanea.Times Literary Supplement

Che democrazia e quella italiana? L''anomalia di Berlusconi e un fenomeno tuttonazionale o e lo specchio di un nuovo tipo di potere personale e mediatico? Inquesto agile saggio lo storico inglese Paul Ginsborg, gia professoreall''universita di Cambridge e ora docente di Storia dell''Europa contemporaneanella facolta di Lettere di Firenze, cerca di rispondere alle domandesollevate da molte parti dell''opinione pubblica italiana ed europea. PerGinsborg, Berlusconi non e un caso isolato, ma fa parte di quel gruppo difigure emergenti del terziario, in particolare dalla finanza e dal settoredelle telecomunicazioni, che usano le loro risorse economiche e mediatiche perinfluenzare e, talvolta, conquistare la sfera pubblica democratica.

In this long-awaited book (already a major bestseller in Italy) Ginsborg has created a fascinating, sophisticated and definitive account of how Italy has coped, or failed to cope, with the past two decades. Contemporary Italy strongly mirrors Britain - the countries have roughly the same extent, population size and GNP - and yet they are fantastically different. Ginsborg sees this difference as most fundamentally clear in the role of the family and it is the family which is at the heart of Italian politics and business. Anyone wishing to understand contemporary Italy will find it essential to have this enormously attractive and intelligent book.

In this long-awaited book (already a major bestseller in Italy) Ginsborg has created a fascinating, sophisticated and definitive account of how Italy has coped, or failed to cope, with the past two decades. Contemporary Italy strongly mirrors Britain - the countries have roughly the same extent, population size and GNP - and yet they are fantastically different. Ginsborg sees this difference as most fundamentally clear in the role of the family and it is the family which is at the heart of Italian politics and business. Anyone wishing to understand contemporary Italy will find it essential to have this enormously attractive and intelligent book.