Italy's First Republic

There have been 61 governments in Italy since 1945. However, the dominance of the Christian Democratic party in Italian politics over this period provided continuity and comparative stability to the political situation in the country, as they attempted to maintain Cold War equilibrium in the region by keeping the Italian Communist Party (PCI) out of power. Apart from playing a part in the National Unity governments prior to 1948, the communists have never been in power.
The cliché that Italy had 50 governments in its first 50 years of democracy is often used as an example of political instability. However, Italy's main political problem was actually the opposite. Where the governments of other western countries alternated between left and right wing parties, Italy's government remained in the hands of the Christian Democrats and their allies throughout the whole of the period of the so called 'First Republic', since it was politically unacceptable for a communist party to rule a western country during the Cold war period.


During the 1960s, Aldo Moro, a relatively left-leaning Christian Democrat, unsuccessfully attempted to include the socialists in the government. He would later try to include the communist party as well in a deal called 'The Historical Compromise'. In 1978, this attempt was brought to an abrupt halt by the kidnapping and murder of Moro by the Red Brigades, an extremist left-wing terror organization.

At this time, the Communist Party was the largest in western Europe, and it has remained so ever since. Their appeal to Italians has been mainly due to the Party's independence from Moscow, their rejection of extremism and their reasonable, practical approach to politics.

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TOUR IN GREECE

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Politic of Greece

Greece is a parliamentarian presidential democracy. The president of the democracy (a republic) is the regulator of their political system. He or she is elected by the parliament every 5 years by nominal vote and shares the legislative power of the country with the deputies and the executive power with the government. To be eligible to stand for election, a candidate must be a politician of Greek nationality, be over forty years of age and must not have lost his eligibility (through having a criminal record, for example).

In order to win the presidential election, the candidate must receive the vote of at least 180 of the 300 deputies of the Greek parliament.

The Greek parliament (House of Deputies) is composed of 300 deputies elected for a four-year period by the direct universal suffrage of the Greek people. In order for a party to govern, they must obtain more than 150 seats in parliament. If no party manages this, the party having obtained the most votes has three days to form a coalition with another party and thus obtain the 150 seats required. If they cannot do this in the time allotted, it is the turn of the second party who will be elected if they manage to form a coalition to obtain the necessary number of seats.

The Prime Minister of Greece was elected as head of the political party which obtained a majority of seats in parliament. During the last few weeks there has been much excitement in Greece, as at every election period. The next parliamentary elections (and at the same time those of the Prime Minister) will take place on 7 March and, Greece being the cradle of democracy, everyone is very preoccupied with the political future of the country. The universities, which are already extremely politically implicated, turn into giant stands for the political parties, as does every street corner in Athens and the other large towns.

So, parliamentary elections take place every 4 years. Any Greek citizen of 18 and over on 1st January of the current year can vote. For example, if an election takes place on 7 March 2004, all those having attained their majority before 1 January 2004 will be able to vote. All citizens eligible to vote have an election card. Voting is obligatory and any citizen failing in their civic duty is liable to be prosecuted. Men and women voted in separate places and mixed voting only came in at the last elections. Election day lasts from sunrise to sunset and everyone goes to vote in a previously designated place (schools, town-halls etc.) in their own district.

Voting is nominative (although anonymous), and takes place in strict privacy. Every voter is given a list for each political party represented in their region of Greece and an envelope. The candidates for each political party are shown on that party’s list and the elector can put a cross against those that he wishes to elect or simply return the whole list.

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important to know about Greece

Welcome to Greece

The Greek flag
It is composed of 5 stripes which symbolize the five seas (the Mediterranean, the Ionian, the Dodecanese, the Aegean, and the Thracian Seas).

National anthem
The Hellenic Republic (Elliniki Dimokratia) has a total surface area of 131,000 km2. It has a population of 10.6 million inhabitants of which almost half live in Athens, the capital. The language spoken in Greece is Greek (surprisingly!), but the Greeks are so gifted for languages that it is not unusual to find people who speak English, French and German.

The political regime 
 Greece is a parliamentary pluralistic republic. Voting is compulsory in Greece and failure to do so is sanctioned by the loss of passport and driving license. There are two national holidays :

There are two national holidays
25 March is Independence Day and celebrates the successful rebellion and subsequent independence from the Turks in 1821;
28 October is known as Ochi Day (after the saint of that day) and commemorates the day in 1940 when the Prime Minister said no to the entry of Mussolini’s troops. The day is marked by processions of school children, students and the Greek Armed Forces.

Their motto : Liberty or death. My strength lies in the love of my people.

Some famous Greek musicians : Manos Hatzidakis, Mikis Theodorakis, Yannis Xenakis.

Hippocrates

Hippocrates was the greatest physician in Ancient Greece. He founded a school of medicine on the island of Kos and devised the Hippocratic Oath, a charter of moral guidelines which doctors swear to follow.

Some famous poets : Homer, Sophocles, Sappho.

A famous millionaire : Aristote Onassis

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