The Corrosive Legacy of Silvio Berlusconi
His demagogic style revolved around self-interest, but he inspired other right-wing populists to bend the rule of law and divide their democracy.
Silvio Berlusconi, who dominated Italian politics for much of the past three decades, died today, at age 86. A figure who seemed peculiar, even bizarre, in his prime has come to look more and more familiar as others, Donald Trump included, have emulated his populist approach to politics.
Berlusconi, a media mogul, used his billions to buy huge political influence. He had an uncanny knack for using the medium of television to transform his country’s culture. He was notorious for a string of sordid sexual affairs, faced prosecution for multiple
