Silvio Berlusconi - ex-Prime Minister of Italy, politician. Silvio became the first billionaire to hold public office.
Silvio Berlusconi comes from a traditionally Catholic family. An important event for Luigi and Rosella happened on September 29, 1936. The father of the future politician and entrepreneur was engaged in banking, and his mother was a housewife. In addition to Silvio, the family raised the girl Maria Antonietta and the boy Paolo.
Berlusconi lived in Milan, one of the most disadvantaged areas. Contradictions with the political power in force during the war years forced the family to go to the southern canton of Switzerland, located nearby. The mother had to return to Milan because of the work for which the woman was forced to get a job.
Silvio spent his school years in the village of Oltrona di San Mamette. After graduation, the young man tried to earn money. Berlusconi milked cows on the farm, collected potatoes. So the young man got food for his family, because he was paid with Italian yogurt. After the end of hostilities, my father returned to the family.
The lack of funds did not become a hindrance for the parents. The children had a decent education. At the age of 12, Silvio went to Don Bosco's Salesian school, where he was taught discipline and communication. During his school years, the young man tried to earn money. Berlusconi offered to help classmates with assignments in exchange for money or sweets.
Silvio ended up at the University of Milan at the Faculty of Law. Life spun, I had to earn my own living. The entrepreneurial vein now and then made itself felt.
But for some reason, a new hobby appeared in Berlusconi's life - photography. The young man filmed weddings, funerals. Later he worked as a seller and singer, presenter, guide.
In 1961, Silvio was awarded an honors degree at a ceremony at the University. His thesis on the problems of legal regulation of the advertising business was successful, so Berlusconi received a monetary reward.
Politics
Silvio Berlusconi is an entrepreneur who owns banks and publishing houses. At the age of over 50, a businessman decides to try his luck in politics. In 1994, Silvio organized the Forward Italy! Movement, turning it into a party two years later. Berlusconi tried to achieve a free market and competition in Italy, but at the same time promoted social equality, which was based on freedom and justice.
Parliamentary elections were soon to take place. About 8 million votes were cast for Berlusconi's party. Realizing this, the politician creates a coalition that includes the center-right parties. On May 11, 1994, an unprecedented incident occurred in Italian politics: a billionaire became prime minister.
During the first government, Silvio immediately had to plunge into work. In early July, Berlusconi met the G8 summit, which was attended by François Mitterrand and Tony Blair. For the first time, the President of Russia arrived at this event. In October of the same year, Berlusconi and the ruler of the Russian Federation signed the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation.
1996 came and something went wrong. Silvio and the party lost the elections, while the main opponent of the entrepreneur Romano Prodi won. Now Berlusconi is at the head of the opposition. The politician worked on constitutional reform thanks to a bicameral parliamentary commission. At some point, Silvio was popularly called the center-right.
In 1999, the victory of Berlusconi's party became clear. A coalition organized by a businessman has become a real power. As a result, the ruling parties were defeated in municipal and regional elections. The year 2001 has come - the time of the Parliamentary elections. This time, Berlusconi's coalition called the House of Freedoms won. Once again, Silvio was at the head of the Italian government.
Despite Berlusconi's sympathy for the American victims of the attacks, the Italian opposed the war in Iraq. The politician even tried to influence, but all attempts were in vain. During these years, Berlusconi contributed to the establishment of contact between the American and Russian presidents.
By 2006, Italians were disenchanted with Berlusconi's policies. The businessman was accused of stagnating the economy, so the likelihood that Silvio's party would win was not so high. Indeed, the citizens chose a center-left coalition led by Romano Prodi. Berlusconi tried to appeal this, but lost in the Supreme Court of Cassation.
Two years later, the parliament was dissolved, Silvio went to the polls again, where he won. Fiscal policy became the main topic of the election race. Despite the deplorable state of the Italian economy, Berlusconi did not stop cheering the society. In every speech, the politician stated that not everything is as bad as it seems.
Legal proceedings resulted in Silvio Berlusconi being forced to resign in November 2011. The Italians took this news with joy. called the Italian president "one of the last Mohicans of European politics."
Scandals
The activities of Silvio Berlusconi were of interest to the Italian law enforcement agencies. Over the course of several years, 61 court proceedings were opened against the politician and businessman. This was associated with money laundering, corruption, bribery, sex scandals.
In Berlusconi's biography, the first problems appeared back in 1992. The man was charged with collaborating with the Sicilian mafia. This was publicly announced by judge Paolo Borsellino. But after 5 years, the persecution of Silvio was stopped.
Silvio Berlusconi's frivolous life haunted the Italians. In 2011, two cases were opened against the politician related to abuse of office and the use of the services of underage prostitutes. Not long before this, an interview with Naomi Letizia appeared in the media, who admitted that she was having fun at the villa of the eminent entrepreneur.
The journalists called the constant parties with women orgies. The sophisticated fantasy of politics turned such "holidays" into something incredible. But it was not only Berlusconi's personal life that raised questions in society and law enforcement agencies.
In 2012, a trial took place, during which Silvio was sentenced to 4 years in prison. This decision was made due to tax crimes committed by the entrepreneur. Numerous revisions of the case did not help to avoid punishment of the politician. But because of his age, the man had to serve a sentence under house arrest or in community service.
Personal life
The man, whose height is 165 cm, is popular among women of all ages. Silvio Berlusconi's first marriage was with Carla Elvira Dell'Oglio. The celebration took place in 1965. In this marriage, two children were born. This is the daughter of Maria Elvira and the son of Persilvio.
Silvio Berlusconi's women: Carla Dell'Oglio, Veronica Lario, Raisa Skorkina, Francesca Pascale 15 years later, actress Veronica Lario appeared on Berlusconi's path. The girl won the heart of the politician. There was a divorce, and after a new wedding. Veronica and Silvio managed to save the family for 30 years. But in 2014, the couple broke up. In the second marriage, a son Luigi was born, daughters Barbara and Eleanor.
Later, interesting facts about the connection between Berlusconi and Raisa Skorkina appeared in the media. In 2011, even during the marriage with Veronica, Silvio had a new lover - Francesca Pascale.
Silvio Berlusconi now
Silvio Berlusconi's health is now poor. In April 2017, the politician required urgent hospitalization, but no information was provided on the reasons for this. The life of a billionaire attracts the attention of cultural figures. This is how the work on the film about Silvio Berlusconi began.
On the official page in
Italian politician and prominent entrepreneur. In the parliamentary elections in 2008 he was elected prime minister, before that he was already the head of the Italian government in 1994 and 2001-2006. Media mogul, owner of the Fininvest holding, which brings together about 150 companies operating in almost all spheres of Italians' life, including the Milan football club. The richest inhabitant of Italy (25th place in the list of the richest people in the world according to Forbes magazine for 2005). He was repeatedly brought to trial on charges of concealment of income and bribery, but every time, thanks to his lawyers, he escaped responsibility.
Silvio Berlusconi was born on September 29, 1936 in Milan. In 1961 he graduated with honors from the Faculty of Law of the University of Milan.
After graduation, he worked in the construction business in Milan. In the 1970s, he took up telecommunications and after a decade and a half achieved absolute leadership in the private television broadcasting market. By the early 1990s, a double monopoly had been established between state television RAI, on the one hand, and Berlusconi's holding, on the other, Fininvest, on the other. Finininvest united about 150 companies (including the football club AC Milan), operating in almost all spheres of life of Italians - this state of affairs is called "Berlusconism".
In 1993, Berlusconi decided to try his hand at politics. On January 26, 1994, the political party Forza Italia ("Forward Italy" or "Come on Italy") was founded. Using information resources belonging to the tycoon, the party won on November 27, 1994 as part of the center-right coalition "Pole of Freedom", which received 43 percent of the vote. Berlusconi took over as prime minister in the coalition government. Because of criticism of Berlusconi and disagreements among coalition allies, Berlusconi's first government lasted only seven months. Berlusconi lost the 1996 general election: his supporters lost to the center-left Romano Prodi bloc.
Berlusconi took over the government again after the new center-right bloc, House of Freedom, won the May 15, 2001 election. Berlusconi's campaign promises included cuts in taxes and bureaucracy, increased pensions and jobs, and a fight against illegal immigration. It was supposed to carry out reforms of the education and health care systems, the judicial system. In September 2003, the prime minister announced the launch of a large-scale reform of the state structure in Italy.
Italy's poorly planned entry into the euro zone in 2002 resulted in rising prices, declining purchasing power and exacerbating social tensions. In 2002 and 2003, there were massive protests. The Italians were also displeased with Berlusconi's foreign policy: after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the country actively supported the United States in Afghanistan and then in Iraq. In April 2005, the Freedom House coalition suffered a crushing defeat in regional elections, and Berlusconi was forced to resign formally in accordance with the constitution. The April 2006 general election also ended in failure. Although the victory of the center-left was confirmed by the constitutional court and even some of Berlusconi's supporters urged their leader to admit defeat, the politician and media mogul was very reluctant to leave his post. Only on May 2, 2006, he finally submitted an official letter of resignation.
Throughout his career, Berlusconi has been repeatedly prosecuted on charges of hiding income and giving bribes, as well as links with the mafia and illegal campaign finance. However, the entrepreneur's lawyers managed to relieve him of responsibility by resorting to appellate courts. Two regular trials against Berlusconi were suspended in 2008 due to the participation of the ex-prime minister in the parliamentary elections.
In elections held April 13-14, 2008, Berlusconi's new People of Freedom party and its center-right coalition allies won and won a majority in both houses of the Italian parliament.
Nicknamed by the Italians Il Cavaliere ("Knight", "Cavalier"), Berlusconi exploited the image of "a man of the people." At the same time, he is the richest man in Italy. Forbes magazine in 2005 estimated his fortune at $ 12 billion and assigned him 25th place in its ranking of the richest people on the planet. However, in the fall of 2008, as a result of the global financial crisis, he lost more than one and a half billion dollars and fell back in the ranking to 90th place. Berlusconi is married with a second marriage. He has two children from his first marriage and three from his second. Berlusconi's older children help their father run the family business.
Silvio Berlusconi was born on September 29, 1936 in Milan. The family was not rich, but the future prime minister received a good education. He was one of the best students of the Catholic Lyceum, after which he graduated with honors from the Faculty of Law of the University of Milan.
Business success
Big construction
Silvio Berlusconi's working life is impressive. He was always drawn to success and prosperity, so he began to work while still studying. He did not disdain any work, whether it was selling household goods or performing in a nightclub.
Berlusconi played the double bass and sang well, and often performed on cruise ships. But he gained real experience in the construction company Immobiliare costruzioni. The construction business has become his main occupation and source of income for the next 20 years.
In 1968, Berlusconi created the Edilnord construction company. He acquired cheap land in the vicinity of Milan and erected two elite micro-districts there - Milan-2 and Milan-3.
An air line (Linate) passed over the first of them, but the businessman managed to agree on changing the route of the aircraft.
Then the famous "Sunflower" (Girasole) was built - the first Italian hypermarket. In 1977 he was awarded the honorary title of "Cavaliere del Lavoro", because of this award he later received the nickname "Cavalier".
Media tycoon
Having conquered the world of the construction business, Berlusconi turned his attention to the media area. Most of all I was interested in commercial television. His first step in this direction was the purchase of shares in the popular weekly Il Giornale. Then, quite soon, the famous Mediaset was formed, which includes three TV channels (among them the famous Canale 5) and became part of the Fininvest holding. Later, Silvio Berlusconi added some French, German and Spanish TV channels to his holding.
The holding's lines of business were varied - a supermarket chain, insurance companies and much more, but the share of television in the company's capital was 85%.
Thanks to his passion for commercial television, Silvio Berlusconi took place in the top ten richest Italians and 118th line in the Forbes rating.
Milan club
Milan football club was bought by Silvio Berlusconi in 1984. It was then a modest Serie B club. It was a matter of honor for the tycoon to bring his club to a high level. He succeeded. Milan won the Italian Championship 8 times(in 1988, 1992 - 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004, 2011) and 5 times - Champions League(in 1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2007). Cavaliere's popularity reached unprecedented heights, the fans of the club became Berlusconi's loyal supporters.
Career politician
The growth of his political career began thanks to football victories, the owner of the club became a real hero of the republic. In 1994, Berlusconi founded the Forward Italy! (Forza Italia) and was elected Prime Minister of Italy. The victory was brilliant and unexpected, but the newly minted prime minister did not have time to take advantage of its fruits - the government resigned, not having worked for a year.
He returned to the prime minister's chair three times - in 2001, 2005 and 2008.
His state activities are assessed contradictory, often accused of economic downturns (the last premiership fell on the crisis). Foreign policy also raised many questions - European colleagues did not approve of friendship with Russia and agreements with Libya.
Friend Vladimir
Best friend of Silvio Berlusconi recognized among the leaders of other states Russian President Vladimir Putin... Their meetings were always warm, the Italian prime minister, recalling his youth, even sang for the Russian leader. In 2013, Putin paid a private visit to his Italian friend, who was then retired and under court order.
Cavaliere and his women
The topic “Silvio Berlusconi and his women” is of vital interest not only to Italy, but the whole world. Berlusconi was distinguished by a rare love of love from his youth, and his age and success in his career strengthened this quality many times over. The premiere's biography resembles a long romance with many characters.
Two spouses - Carla Dell'Oglio and Veronica Lario - do not count, most of all the public worried about extramarital affairs.
The news was full of messages about the love affairs of Silvio Berlusconi. The tycoon had something to please his beauties - someone got a place on television, and the luckiest ones - in the cabinet of ministers. Fashion model (Mara Carfagnia) became Minister for Equal Opportunities in his government, and dentist Nicole Minetti became a member of the Lombard Parliament.
The Italian prime minister showed the generosity of an Eastern ruler to his beloved. Diamonds and five-figure checks were the usual rewards for taking part in the fun get-togethers at his villa. Ladies often paid with black ingratitude. Patrizia D'Addario wrote the controversial book At Your Service, Prime Minister, and the Montenegrin model Katarina Knezevic blackmailed him with videos of parties from Villa Certosa.
But the most troublesome for the politician was Moroccan-born Karima El Mahroug, nicknamed Ruby the Heartbreaker.
Unfortunately, the girl turned out to be underage. According to the majority, Berlusconi did not know exactly her age, but there was a reason to charge him. Ruby was in Italy illegally, which complicated the situation. The cavalier was threatened with a seven-year imprisonment, he achieved acquittal only after the appeal. Ruby was an escort employee and is believed to have provided appropriate services to Berlusconi's guests.
The Voronezh model Raisa Skorkina became the most loyal of the girlfriends of the charming Italian. She sincerely considered "dear Silvio" a generous and attractive man, she said that he often called her and sang wonderfully into the receiver.
Raisa said that the girls of the prime minister, including Ruby, were unusually impudently taking advantage of his kindness, and that they arrange life only thanks to a short-term relationship with him. Raisa Skorkina, commenting on the Ruby scandal for the press, argued that Berlusconi was not to blame, since he himself was misled about her age, because the slutty Moroccan looked over 18 years old. Ruby's biography was replete with connections with rich men in the past, but the Italian prime minister was particularly unlucky with her.
The last (hopefully) love of Silvio Berlusconi is the Neapolitan Francesca Pascale, a friend of his daughter Marina Berlusconi, who has been in love with him since childhood. According to Cavaliere, Francesca gave him "faith in selfless female love."
Interesting facts, jokes, scandals
- Berlusconi was elected prime minister four times, for the first time, his party won 43% of the vote. This is an absolute record for Italy. Only Benito Mussolini and Giovanni Giolitti were in power longer.
- Passed as defendant in various cases more than 50 times- also a record for a politician. Criminal exploits of the most charismatic prime minister include bribery, major fraud, sex with minors and tax evasion. On the last of the charges, he was sentenced to a year of community service in a nursing home. He claimed that he liked serving his sentence.
- Differs in spontaneity and risky sense of humor- the joke about "Obama's tan" and the horns over the head of the Spanish prime minister in the general photo are proof of this.
- Known for his reverent attitude towards his appearance. His short height (165 cm) compensates for his good athletic form, he underwent several plastic surgeries. Raisa Skorkina considered her high-ranking lover "handsome and pumped up."
- Silvio Berlusconi happened to be the victim of a psychopathic attack. Milan resident Massimo Tartaglia shot a souvenir copy (Duomo di Milano) in his face, breaking his nose and splitting teeth.
- The news of the parties at Villa Certosa caused an unprecedented stir. Berlusconi received friends and leaders of other states there, the provision of intimate services was part of his hospitality. Once the paparazzi were very lucky - the hero of the secretly taken picture was the naked Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Mirek Topolanek.
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They say that a person is multifaceted. If this is true, then this term is the best fit for Silvio Berlusconi, who is known both as a politician and as a businessman and as a successful football president.
Silvio Berlusconi
- Date of birth: September 29, 1936.
- Country: Italy.
Biography of Silvio Berlusconi
Berlusconi was born in one of the most disadvantaged areas of Milan - Isola, located along the railroad tracks. Silvio's father, Luigi, worked at a bank, while Rosella Bossi's mother was a housekeeper. In addition to the eldest child Silvio, the family also had two children: Maria Antonietta and Paulo.
During World War II, the family of a staunch anti-fascist Luigi Berlusconi was hiding from the Mussolini regime in neighboring Switzerland, and it was not easy for her to survive.
And the post-war life in Italy, where the Berlusconi family returned after the end of hostilities, was full of hardships and hardships. Nevertheless, thanks to his parents, Silvio Berlusconi received a good education - first he graduated from the Catholic Lyceum, and then from the Faculty of Law of the University of Milan.
Berlusconi's first business was construction, he created a construction company, and later, with a build-up of capital, entered the media and telecommunications market, eventually creating the largest media holding.
Berlusconi's spheres of interest are very broad, but I am only interested in football, and therefore I am going directly to this topic.
Silvio Berlusconi - Milan President
On February 20, 1986, Silvio Berlusconi bought the Milan football club and became its president. I must say that Milan were going through hard times then - the last title (champion of Italy) was won by the team in 1979, and since the beginning of the 80s the club dropped twice into Serie B.
But with the arrival of Berlusconi, the Rossoneri took off, which soon became the strongest club on the European continent. To begin with, I will give a few numbers that indicate the number of Milan trophies won before Berlusconi (first column) and in his era (second column).
- Championship of Italy: 10 - 8.
- Italian Cup: 4 - 1.
- Italian Super Cup: 0 - 7.
- Champions League Cup: 2 - 5.
- Cup Winners' Cup: 2 - 0.
- UEFA Super Cup: 0 - 5.
- Intercontinental Cup (Club World Championship): 1 - 3.
TOTAL: 19 - 29.
Of course, we can say that many Super Cups were won during the Berlusconi period, the victory in which, whatever one may say, is not so prestigious. But let me remind you that the first time span is 87 years, and the second is only 31 years old.
How did he do it? As an experienced manager, Berlusconi started with the main thing - with cadres. Moreover, he was not afraid to take responsibility upon himself, making seemingly strange decisions. Almost immediately after joining the club, he invites the little-known Arigo Sacchi, who worked with Parma, who played in Serie B, to the post of head coach.
That season, Milan won the Scudetto, after which they won the European Cup twice in a row. It was Arigo Sacchi who created the best defensive line in the history of world football: Mauro Tassoti - Alessandro Costacurta - Franco Baresi -.
The second "secret" of Berlusconi's success is outrageously simple - he spared no money on his brainchild. For some reason, the idea of recruiting the team exclusively with stars (the principle of "galacticos") is attributed to the president of Real Madrid, Florentino Perez.
Nothing of the kind! This idea belonged to Berlusconi, and he actively implemented it. It was just that he was hampered by the then restriction - there could not be more than three legionnaires on the field at the same time, and various tricks such as dual citizenship were not rolled then - you do not have the right to play for the Italian national team - then you are a legionnaire there!
Berlusconi immediately began to buy the best players for his team - in 1987, Marco van Basten also moved to Milan, and a year later -. This is how the famous “Dutch trio” developed - these guys were the leaders of the strongest national team in the world at that time. Why aren't you "galacticos"?
And what about Berlusconi's idea of creating two equal teams in the club - one for playing in the middle of the week in cups and European cups, the other for championship matches on weekends? It was for this purpose that, in addition to the Dutch, the Yugoslav Dejan Savichevich, the Romanian Florin Raduchuyu and the best football player in Europe in 1991, the French were acquired.
Milan became the only European club in which there were six foreign players, and half of them a priori could not be on the field. I understand this, "galacticos", but Florentino Perez with his project nervously smokes on the sidelines.
Yes, the idea of playing two teams in the season remained unrealized, but you need to understand how much Silvio Berlusconi was ahead of his time. Then there was no such intensity of matches, but Berlusconi saw the growing problem and looked for ways to solve it. Now the big clubs solve the problem of roster rotation by actually ignoring the domestic cup tournaments and the Europa League, unless they are needed to achieve some local goals (for example, getting into the Champions League through winning the Europa League).
"If we cannot play in all tournaments with one squad, then we need two equal squads!"
This reflects another trait of his character that allows him to achieve success - decisiveness. For example, while looking for a striker for Milan, Silvio Berlusconi watched a video with the game of the best forwards in the world. When it came down to it, the Milan president stopped the screening after the 14th goal and uttered his famous phrase:
"Van Basten must be taken!"
With all this, Berlusconi has never been a dogmatist. For example, after the departure of Arigo Sacchi, in which AC Milan showed bright attacking football, the team was led by Fabio Capello, who instilled in her a completely different game. By the way, Capello's appointment is in the spirit of Berlusconi, because he entrusted the best team in the world to a man who had practically no coaching experience (in 1987, Fabio Capello was the head coach of Milan for six rounds at the end of the championship).
So, which I personally call "the highest degree of football cynicism." The team simply pushed one ball into the opponent's goal and cemented all approaches to their own penalty area. Italian Championship 1993-1994 Milan managed to win, scoring 36 goals in 34 matches (11th result of the tournament)!
All this did not prevent the club from remaining at the pinnacle of European football. When in Milan he clashed with Barcelona, the whole football world held its breath. It was not just the two best clubs of the Old World that met, it was a confrontation between two completely different football concepts. Alas, the battle did not work out - the "pragmatists" carried the "romantics" into one wicket - 4: 0.
And the protracted game crisis of Milan, which began at the very beginning of the second decade of the XXI, I associate precisely with the fact that at some stage of his life Silvio Berlusconi lost interest in football. And I decided so by the method of elimination. Judge for yourself.
What else could have prevented Berlusconi from owning Milan and achieving success with it? Finance? They are fine with him. Lack of time due to doing business and big politics (Berlusconi headed the Italian Government three times)? Completeness! The first time Berlusconi became prime minister back in 1994, and this did not prevent him from being involved in the club.
A general crisis in Italian football? Yes, the Italian Serie A has lost its former gloss and attractiveness and it is difficult to lure world stars here, although now the situation is changing a little for the better. But this can only explain the failures in the Champions League (although the example of the same Juventus refutes this), but not as in the domestic championship.
However, assumptions remain assumptions and facts are facts. And they are as follows - by selling Milan to a Chinese-American holding in April 2017, Silvio Berlusconi closed the most glorious page in the history of the great club.
Scandals with Silvio Berlusconi
The name Silvio Berlusconi is associated with many big and small scandals. He was accused of connections with the mafia, bribery, tax evasion, vote buying, sexual relations with minors.
In general, there are few articles in the Italian criminal code that law enforcement agencies would not try to try on Berlusconi - more than 60 times criminal prosecution was initiated against him.
But of these, only three cases went to court, two fell apart in various courts, and only once was Berlusconi convicted (for tax crimes). True, by that time an amnesty arrived (an amazing coincidence!) And he was released from imprisonment.
Personal life of Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi was officially married twice. His first wife was Karla Elvira Dell'Oglio, and from this marriage Berlusconi has two children - daughter Elvira and son Pierre Silvio.
Berlusconi's second wife is actress Veronica Lario, with whom Silvio began an affair in the early 80s. Here Berlusconi has two daughters - Barbara and Eleanor, and a son, Luigi.
In Italy, Silvio Berlusconi has a steady reputation as a womanizer, so no one will be able to say exactly how many women and girls visited his numerous villas, mansions and yachts. Including himself.
Silvio Berlusconi awards
Italian
- Cavalier of Labor.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Constantine Order of St. George.
Foreign
- Knight Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit (Romania).
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit (Norway).
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Romania.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland.
- Large badge of honor "For Services to the Republic of Austria" in gold with a ribbon.
- Companion of Honor of the Order of Merit (Malta).
- Grand Officer of the Order of the Three Stars (Latvia).
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Infante don Enrique (Portugal).
- Knight of the Order of Pius IX (Vatican).
- Order "Stara Planina" with a ribbon (Bulgaria).
- Order of King Abdel Aziz (Saudi Arabia).
- In his youth, Berlusconi worked on a cruise ship, performing songs.
- In Italy he is also known as a songwriter in the Neapolitan language. In total, Berlusconi has released three albums.
- One of the songs by Silvio Berlusconi is dedicated to Vladimir Putin.
- They are believed to be on friendly terms. At least Berlusconi has several times advocated the lifting of anti-Russian sanctions.
- During the Berlusconi era, five Milan footballers - Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten, won the Ballon d'Or. Before Berlusconi, only one Gianni Rivera was honored with such an honor.
- It was Gianni Rivera Berlusconi who replaced Milan as president.
- Before Berlusconi, Milan could not win the European Super Cup, when they did it five times out of five.
You can treat Silvio Berlusconi as you like, but one cannot be taken away from him. In any field of activity, this person has always set one goal - to be the first. And he knew how to achieve it.
Silvio Berlusconi was born in Milan on September 29, 1936. His father, Luigi, was a bank clerk, his mother's name was Rosella Bossi. After graduating from regular high school in 1955, he entered the University of Milan at the Faculty of Applied Law, graduating with honors in 1961 with the opportunity to write a scientific paper on advertising.
Silvio Berlusconi started his business life in the construction industry, and this activity remained his main occupation for 20 years.
In the late 70s, as the volume of broadcasting on the local television network (TeleMilano) increased, Silvio Berlusconi realized that Italy was ready to watch commercial television on a national scale and concentrated all his energy on this new and exciting direction of work.
In 1980 he founded Canale 5, the first national commercial television network in Italy, which immediately became popular with viewers. Later, he created two more TV channels: Italia 1 (started broadcasting from Raskoni in 1982) and Retequatro (started broadcasting in 1984 from Mondadori).
The key factors in his success in this endeavor were, firstly, the creation of Pubitalia "80, an information advertising company, and, secondly, the creation of program charts with a selection of the most popular TV programs.
The television commercial business received a new impetus in its development with the creation of the television review Sorrisi e Calzoni TV, which almost immediately became one of the most popular magazines, with a circulation of more than 2 million copies. This solidified the position that Silvio Berlusconi had already held in the world of newspaper and magazine publishing, based on his controlling interest in Il Giornale, the national daily published by Indro Montanelli, one of Italy's most prominent journalists. In the late 1980s, interest in publishing culminated in the founding of Mondadori, Italy's leading publishing house.
The success of commercial television in Italy allowed Silvio Berlusconi to develop several more areas of activity in the 80s, which were merged under the Fininvest holding company (founded in 1978). These include the creation of the commercial television channel La Chinq in France, which began broadcasting in 1986, and the creation of television channels in Germany (Telefunt, 1987) and Spain (Telechinco, 1989).
As a result of this rapid growth, by the beginning of the 90s Fininvest became the second largest private company in Italy (the number of employees in this company was about 40,000) and the largest media group not only in Italy, but also in Europe. In 1986, Silvio Berlusconi became President of A.C. Milan, one of the most famous football clubs in Italy.
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In early 1994, Silvio Berlusconi decided to leave the business and go into politics. On January 26 of the same year, he resigned from his post at Fininvest and created a new political movement, Forza Italia.
In the March 27 elections, the new movement won the largest number of votes, and the coalition of parties gathered around the Il Polo della liberta movement formed an absolute majority in parliament. Subsequently, the President of the Republic instructed Berlusconi to form a government, which was approved by Parliament in May 1994.
