Figuring out the Italians: Unearthing the Often-Invisible Cultural Forces that Govern Behavior - Research Paper Example

In an economic trend that moves downwards, this has caused a reduction in birthrates along with more women who see that economic stability can only be had through jobs and careers. Yet they still maintain their traditional home roles of caretaker, cook, cleaner and overall ruler of the home. Table of Contents Abstract 1 Table of Contents 2 Part I: Introduction to Italy 3 1.1 Italian Cultural Artistic Elements 4 1.2 When Italy was Rome 5 Part II: The Social Infrastructure 6 2.1 The Family Infrastructure 7 2.

2 The Educational Process 9 2.3 Friends 12 2.4 Work and the Immigration Problem 13 Part III: The World of Politics 14 3.1 The Government Infrastructure 14 3.2 Business and Politics 15 3.3 Global Influences 16 Part IV: Conclusion 17 References 19 Part I: Introduction to Italy Historical Overview through Art and Early History If one were to define Italy as a country, its historical output in art might be the first thing mentioned such as the famous painters of the Renaissance, the famous musical composers and certainly, its great cuisine.

Of the most famous painters, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Titian, Brunelleschi are some of the most well-known, while Antonio Vivaldi, Gioachino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi and Giacomo Puccini are several of the top classical musical composers of Italian operas and symphonies (Italy web). Italy, particularly as a mover and shaker of Catholicism over the last 1,000 years through the Vatican and its popes, has been at the forefront of politics for many of Europe’s greatest dynasties.

Many European royal families in fact, had to have some type of support and relationship with the Vatican, in order to ensure certain stability in keeping favors flowing between the pope and famous rulers. The infamous argument between Henry VIII and Pope Clement VII, regarding his various marriages, caused England to finally split from the Catholic Church, which had finally excommunicated Henry, who then created the Church of England. Such was the power of Italy, Rome and the Vatican during those times that it would influence many areas of European politics, the wars fought between kingdoms, and who would rule a country, or not.

Some famous names of powerful Italian families are the Borgia, of whom, two were popes, one a cardinal and duke, and one a woman, Lucrezia Borgia; the Medicis, the House of Este, and the Sforza, Albizzi and Pazzi families (PBS web). 1. 1 Italian Cultural Artistic Elements As noted previously, Italy is well-known for its contributions in the art world, particularly in architecture, music, paintings, and sculptures. Its greatest production period was during the Italian Renaissance where the rise of expressing the individual was a call to manifest in art form the desire to express beauty in all forms possible (Toman 7).

This included the expansion in architectural design of large buildings, such as churches, new developments in creating paints and colors and styles of painting, and the sculpting of some of the most famous statues still standing today such as Michelangelo’s ‘David.’ Michelangelo’s David at the Accademia in Florence, Italy Fig. (Peter Poulides – Stone/Getty Images) The Renaissance, starting from c.