Before the Romans took control of the area in 500 BC, it had been part of the ancient Etruscan civilisation. Under Roman influence, the country that formed a part of the expanded Roman Empire grew in size and developed in economic and political significance. The sheer vastness of the Roman Empire led to it being divided into western and eastern sectors: the Western Empire was to be ravaged by plague and resulting famine, before being conquered by tribes invading from the north; while the Eastern Empire maintained its position of power up until the mid-15th century, when it was finally overpowered by the Turks. Italian artists, architects, philosophers and writers of that time created works of unsurpassed genius. Countries such as Austria, France and Spain were all attempting to claim the Italian peninsula for their empires at that time. In 1861, foreign rule was overthrown by locals under the leadership of Cavour, Garibaldi and Mazzini and the Kingdom of Italy was established. The period following this, however, was quite unstable and suffered economic crises for decades. During WWII, Mussolini became a willing participant in the ‘Axis’ formed with Hitler’s Nazi Germany, which eventually was overcome due to a series of poorly-orchestrated military plans as well as the invasion by Allied forces. Mussolini and his fascist regime were defeated in 1945. After WWII, Italy’s economy fluctuated wildly between the extremes of boom and near ruin, and politically, the country enduring a staggering number of governments. Overall, the country managed to retain enough stability to endure the changes in its fortunes and has emerged as a more stable nation today. | 
