Silvio Berlusconi, businessman and major political figure on the Italian right in recent decades, died on June 12, 2023. Le Monde offers you a selection of articles published in the daily newspaper and in “M Le magazine du Monde”.
A media magnate to the presidency of the Italian council
Canale 5, the first private television in Italy, which belongs to the entrepreneur Silvio Berlusconi, is becoming a real empire. (Posted July 23, 1983.)
Before the launch on February 20, 1986 of the television channel, La Cinq, the Italian media magnate answers questions from Le Monde. (Article published February 18, 1986.)
Third Italian private group, Silvio Berlusconi’s Fininvest has built its power on television, advertising, distribution, financial services… and solid political support. But the giant is heavily in debt. (Article published February 25, 1992.)
The Italian media magnate officially entered politics on January 26, 1994. In view of the legislative elections scheduled for two months later, he wanted to offer an alternative to the left. (Posted January 28, 1994.)
Silvio Berlusconi wins a clear victory in the legislative elections on Sunday March 27 and Monday March 28 in Italy. His coalition, which includes the neofascists and the Northern League, wins 366 seats out of 630. (Article published March 30, 1994.)
In the legislative elections of May 2001, Forza Italia established itself as the leading political force in Italy. Silvio Berlusconi takes the helm of the Italian government for the second time. (Article published on May 16, 2001.)
The Italian Prime Minister has set up an unprecedented model of contemporary populism. It relies on Forza Italia, a movement with a pyramidal structure, and controls part of the press and television. (Article published on December 5, 2003.)
In Italy, Silvio Berlusconi is both popular and contested. If his lightness displeases the elites, the majority of his compatriots let themselves be seduced by the cliché of the transalpine macho. (Posted May 20, 2009.)
A career marked by scandals
The Italian Prime Minister is overtaken once again by a sex scandal involving a minor, coupled with pressure on the magistrates in charge of the investigation. (Editorial published November 2, 2010.)
At 74, Silvio Berlusconi is implicated by justice, which is investigating, in particular, his links with an underage prostitute. (Article published on January 21, 2011.)
“Rubygate”, suspicions of corruption, tax evasion… Silvio Berlusconi is implicated in three cases. So far, he has managed to avoid any final conviction. And he has systematically taken advantage of his periods in power to adapt the laws to the extent of his legal problems. (Article published on September 26, 2011.)
The petty bosses of Northeast Italy were the strong supporters of the “Cavaliere”. Today, worried about a return of the recession, appalled by the “bunga-bunga”, they are full of resentment. (Posted October 3, 2011.)
While Italy was placed under surveillance by the International Monetary Fund, Silvio Berlusconi was let go by the deputies of his party and lost his majority in the Assembly. (Article published on November 8, 2011.)
The chairman of the board resigned on November 8, 2011. His record was poor. He leaves Italy, more or less, in the state in which he found it when he first came to power in 1994. As far as his personal fortune and his trials are concerned, on the other hand, everything feel better. (Article published on November 14, 2011.)
On August 1, 2013, the Court of Cassation upheld Silvio Berlusconi’s conviction for tax evasion. After around thirty procedures, this is the first final conviction of the former chairman of the board. (Posted August 3, 2013.)
The “Cavaliere” in bad shape, the Berlusconi brand has a bright future ahead of it. Already at the head of the family empire, Marina, the eldest daughter of Silvio Berlusconi, could well take up the political torch. Even if she swears otherwise. (Posted November 2, 2013.)
Stripped of his parliamentary immunity since November 27, 2013, deposed by senators and targeted by justice, Silvio Berlusconi lives recluse in his palace. (Posted November 29, 2013.)
A humiliated politician and controversial businessman, Silvio Berlusconi remains a key player in Italian public and economic life. (Posted March 7, 2015.)
For thirty years, from 1986 to its sale in 2017, the AC Milan football club served as a political and media showcase for Silvio Berlusconi. (Posted April 19, 2017.)
Despite his escapades and the repeated scandals, the former president of the council is once again seeking a mandate, that of European deputy. (Posted January 25, 2019.)