What Are The Similarities Between Ireland And Italy?

The deepest roots that comprise my ancestral background began in Europe, specifically in Ireland and Italy. When thinking of this background in relation to the course themes and ideas, I began to consider the notions of religion and independence as major topics of discussion. The Christian religion is a shared characteristic between Ireland and Italy, and one trait that is a serious subject regarding the creation, development, and current affairs of both nations. Religious persecution and dominance as a link to independence movements, rebellions, and revolutions alike is a common theme that has been discussed in this course and is the most radiating piece of subject matter that both of these countries possess. When most people think about

Mentioning the 1500’s is important, however, because in the 1530’s, English rule under the authority of King Henry VIII attempted to convert the Irish people to Protestantism. There were many attempts of conversion, but most failed and Ireland remained mostly Catholic in nature. This period of religious change is referred to as the Reformation. In his work, Wallenfeldt states, “Henry VIII’s breach with Rome resulted in vast conversion attempts and rebellions ensued.” King Henry VIII broke ties with the Catholicism after Pope Clement VII denied the king’s request for an annulment. This act is a prime example of a leader abusing his power to further his own agenda. King Henry VIII fabricated his own religion to settle his personal needs, not caring how it would affect those who he ruled over. The people of Ireland wanted to practice their own faiths, majorly Catholicism, but Henry VIII’s new religion called Protestantism impeded them from doing

An example that defies the previous statement is the authoritarian leadership of Benito Mussolini in Italy during World War I. Mussolini formed Italy into the first fascist country, which turned the nation into a nationalistic authoritarian state. One would assume that under these pretenses, there would be an attempt to unify the nation as a whole both culturally and spiritually. However, Mussolini was intelligent and understood the power of the Roman Catholic Church in Italy. He decided to work together with the Church in a simple deal that basically stated Mussolini would worry about the political aspects and the Church would worry about the spiritual aspects. Nonetheless, Mussolini knew that it would be difficult to get the Church to accept fascist policies, so he worked to make his creation benefit the faith. For example, Mussolini had his children baptized in Catholicism, closed down nightclubs, condemned contraception, and outlawed divorce throughout Italy so that he could relate the wills of Catholicism with the outcomes of fascism. There was one aspect of society that the two entities disagreed on, however. Both the Church and Mussolini wanted to control education. The Church wanted education under their power of control because they wanted Catholic teachings to be instituted into the school system of Italy. However, Mussolini needed authority