Italy's Most Evil Road

[@ThePresentPast_]

Compare news coverage from diverse sources around the world on a transparent platform driven by data. Try Ground News today: ground.news/thepresentpast Corrections: At 01:13 I say the Monument to Victor Emanuel II is celebrating the founding of the Italian Republic. This didn't happen until after WW2. I mixed it up with the Unity of Italy in 1871. A lot of people seem to be Trajan and Septimus Severus experts! The statement of Mussolini's intent on deciding what plaque to put up comes from the SPQR book mentioned in the sources. If you have another source I should read on the subject do let me know :)

[@davidrogers8030]

2.25 : l presume you know the 'Roman salute' wasn't Roman but from a painting by Jacques-Louis David.

[@bradleymcdaniel7915]

I'd say Mussolini wanted to Build Back Better

[@tommasodalmaso]

Thanks for correction. Unification of Italy was in 1961 nevertheless ;)

[@andreagv3]

@@tommasodalmaso ha ha, not at all in 1961. Do your research, dude!

[@fabiomotta98]

The "unification of Italy" / proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy happened in 1861 :) The republic in 1946

[@professorholmes00]

My great-grandparents were part of those people who were forced to leave their houses because they were deemed unseemly by Mussolini. They were transported to new neighbourhoods during the night, far away from the city centre and from their jobs, with no one knowing what was happening. Nowadays, you can walk underneath Via dei Fori Imperiali through the cellars of the buildings that used to be there.

[@TheJubess]

I love these comments that share personal stories related to the youtube story. Thanks for sharing and adding to the video!

[@paulpease8254]

This is still happening today, e.g. in Cambodia the dictator Hun Sen removes people from their homes in order to sell their land to foreign investors. Same song, different verse.

[@ThePresentPast_]

Wow thanks for sharing!

[@hazchemel]

Amazing ... thanks for sharing that story

[@itsyaboydanno7143]

Unseemly?

[@riccardomallardo7779]

That monument doesn't celebrate the founding of the italian republic, it celebrates King Victor Emanuel II after the conquest of Rome, after ww1 it also became the tomb of the unknown soldier. Italy became a republic in 1946.

[@falconeshield]

Italy needs to hit the reset button

[@forgottone1430]

@@falconeshield what?

[@perineo2231]

​@@falconeshield⚫✋🏻

[@claudiopeli2774]

@@falconeshield and you need to mind your own business

[@giannicolonello3240]

grazie

[@mousta2612]

That monument doesn't celebrate the Italian republic. It's called "Vittoriano" ("the Victorian") and it was built in 1911 to celebrate the 50 years anniversary since the unification of Italy. The monument is dedicated to Victor Emanuel II, first king of Italy and unifier of the nation that also of course gives the name to the monument. After WW1 in the Vittoriano has been instituted the "Motherland Althar" with the tomb of the unknown soldier always guarded by a guard of honor. The soldier is an Italian that died during ww1 and was unidentified and represents all Italian personnel fallen on the line of duty.

[@steroidbaggins2936]

Septimius Severus was from africa but he wasn’t a foreigner, he was a provincial. He came from a noble Italian family that mixed with the Berber natives. He was still a Latin, still a Roman, though of course he did face scrutiny for his provincial origins

[@Karkafs-Desiderium]

He was often seen as a foreigner because of his way darker skintone, he had punic and phoenician blood in him.

[@steroidbaggins2936]

@@Karkafs-Desiderium a provincial, not a foreigner. Again, he was still an equite or a patrician

[@charliesargent6225]

@@Karkafs-Desiderium Where did you read he had way darker skintone?

[@Karkafs-Desiderium]

@@charliesargent6225 I didnt read it, I saw it. There is a painting of him from 200 showing his family. He is very dark like yemeni arab people and his wife is white/brown like lebanese people.

[@georgestefan1698]

@@Karkafs-Desiderium is the painting 2000 years old ? because if it isnt, then it is not a reliable source of ihistorical nformation

[@Kestrel-777]

1:10 "this monument" is the Altare della Patria, and it was built to commemorate the unification of Italy under it's first king, Victor Emmanuel II. Not to celebrate the Italian Republic. I mean, it's other name is The Victor Emmanuel II Monument, how could you think it was about the republic?

[@ThePresentPast_]

You're right. I got the unification mixed up with the start of Italy as a republic!

[@eolobrontolo9117]

​@@ThePresentPast_ ...And this is not few, from people who make video.🙂

[@jonathangalloni2808]

Also the Italian republic was born after WW2

[@Eugeneinrome]

@@ThePresentPast_ Quite a big mistake for someone putting out historical content! Are you sure you should be doing these kind of videos?

[@earthwalker5248]

Because this video itself contains misinformation and seems to be a piece of propaganda itself.

[@NorDank]

7:43 Severus wasn't black for those wondering

[@Arturo005100]

The severus thing was dumb, trajan was born in iberia (not italy)

[@tortureRoom]

Yo, my nigga severus wuz black. Severus is a nigga name dawg, his full name wuz Severus Jackson, nigga. Da romanz wuz ruled by bulack peepo and das a fact. Also wypeepo don't wash dey chicken.

[@toasty6570]

its like saying Obama isnt american because he was born in hawaii

[@Marco-1997]

@@Arturo005100 yes, by a family of italic settlers though

[@allanrinaldipaone9850]

This guy obviously believes everyone is actually black or wishes they were. We all secretly long to live in Harlem now don't we woke bloke.

[@matteoorlandi856]

This video show that people shpuld really do more than approssimativly reading wikipedia before talking about a nation's history.

[@kittyroxs]

And this comment shows we should do a little spell check and editing if we want the intended meaning of comments to be conveyed.

[@fosterbuster2840]

unfortunately with youtube you are free to spread any bullshit

[@barrankobama4840]

At the time those map were drawn Severus was considered ethnic Italian, the idea that he was half Punic only gained popularity in the 90s. And to this day is not clear if it's true that under Severus the Empire was bigger, since we have no idea of the actual borders in the desert, and surely nobody at the time was considering that. So there was no intentional removal of Severus, since in the eyes of people in the 1930s he was just another ethnic Italian born in a Province, exactly like Trajan.

[@alboin5684]

Indeed, the problem with the idea that Septimius was ethnically Punic on his father's side, is that his father's name Publius Septimius Geta is n't exactly the most Punic sounding lol. His mum's name was Fulvia Pia, so I'll yet you figure out her ethnicity from that lol. It may be impossible to work out wether the empire was bigger under Septimius or Trajan because back then not all borders were exactly demarcated like today. An exception was the river Rubicon, which ceased to be a border anyway after 42bce with annexation of Cisalpine Gaul. In the case of Septimius, the southern border of the empire was mainly desert which makes the task of demarcation harder still

[@challalla]

The so-called Roman salute isn't based on actual Roman sources but is a product of modern popular perception without historical basis. Not that Mussolini really would have cared about historical accuracy.

[@SaraWilsonBasturk]

Was it a David painting or am I misremembering that?

[@challalla]

@@SaraWilsonBasturk Yes, I think The Oath of the Horatii by Jacques-Louis David played a big part in spreading this misconception, as well as being a terrible demonstration of how one should handle swords

[@Henry_Nehring]

no, the romans used that salute to salute their leader, mostly Caesar used it

[@challalla]

@@Henry_Nehring Can you point to any depictions or descriptions of this salute dating back to the Romans? Martin M. Winkler's The Roman Salute: Cinema, History, Ideology (2009) states that no such salute appears in extant evidence from the Roman world. Rather, he says that it was 'invented on the nineteenth-century stage in long-running productions of "toga plays," melodramas set in the Roman Empire ... the gesture then reached the cinema screen.'

[@aleattorium]

"Obelisks are... Egyptian" hey man, actually not only Egyptian, all over ancient times there are obelisks, even in Rome! But you can also find obelisks in Pre-Columbian societies as well. Anyways, building a tall pointy thing is not exclusive to Egyptians.

[@Arturo005100]

Rome has 13 obelisks,the romans were obsessed with them

[@aleattorium]

@Wilhelm Otto Dusseldorf nope man, those you are mentioning are the recent ones, there are original obelisks in Rome, also Assyria, American tribes, several places

[@allangibson8494]

@@aleattorium The obelisks in Rome were manufactured in Egypt - including ones manufactured specifically for Roman emperors. The Romans also had obelisks manufactured and erected in Syria and Palestine. Baalbek in Lebanon was a major Roman quarry.

[@muscledavis5434]

Obeliscs originate in Ancient Egypt but then were adapted by the Romans and became an important part of their own architectural culture. From our pint of view looking back, both answers are right. They were part of Egyptian culture and they were part of Roman culture.

[@urbanfile3861]

As a matter of fact there are more Egyptian obelisks in Rome (taken by ancient Romans) than in Egypt. And they're there since more than 2000 years in many Rome's squares. Then they are part of Rome cultural heritage, starting from ancient times. Anyway fascism wanted to give some reference to the Empire which brought to Rome the 'treasures' of its provinces. It's not very well known, but Fascists brought to Rome an obelisk from Axum, after the war against Ethiopia, as spoil of war celebrating the conquer of this 'new province'. The obelisk stood not far from current FAO building in Rome. It was returned to Ethiopia just in 2002

[@the_katzy]

A few important details I feel should've been included: -The fasces alludes to the trade unions of Italy, not the individual: this would later plug into the corporatist state. IIRC The name itself comes from the labor syndicates that were colloquially known as fasces, following the whole "unions together strong" line of thinking. -Italian Fascism was like the Romans in the sense of civic nationalism, where if you earn citizenship you are considered an Italian. There was no racial element until Mussolini decided he wanted to get in bed with Hitler. He didn't care about "ethnic Italians" and we have records of considerable Jewish membership in the PNF before 1938, with Mussolini even having a Jewish mistress. Also Septimius Severus would've been nominally Latin (which would be considered "white" nowadays even if that label is dumb as hell( since the Arabs hadn't conquered North Africa yet and the area was more integrated with Europe via Roman Mare Nostrum than across the Sahara to subSaharan Africa, and also a citizen.

[@damedikid387]

Yeah I want to highlight this comment cause sometimes people get confusion. I heard "oh racism in Italy lol what a news they were fascists. They invented it" mmm no. Also, Mussolini wasn't caring about race but to friends and wallets. At the start, Mussolini hated the Franks and ex German country cause for him they caused the misfortune of Italy. He wasn't obsessed with Romans until he has to gain popularity in the Capital and an union reason in the country to get better. Mussolini introduced the racial rules due the partnership with Hitler and (my though) he was a pussy seeing Germany being so powerful so he just did it even if he wasn't believing in it himself. During the colonial empire there was a fascist song called "faccetta nera/black lil face" that was about a poem to an Abyssinian girl to come in Italy with the soldiers and becoming Italian. In Eritrea there're still people talking Italian, cooking Italian cuisine and using ex fascist building cause fight apart they loved the culture and how Italian introduced themself. There was a phrase famous in America and Europe about the low morale of the Italian soldiers for killing etc. It was "Italians? Good People" or in Italian "italiani? Brava gente"

[@blacklion8208]

​@@nicktamer4969 This Y.Tuber is Dutch not American...

[@occidentadvocate.9759]

Septemus Severus was White.

[@FastGDG]

Trajan wasn’t even Italian… he was Spanish.

[@blacklion8208]

@@FastGDG The Romans were not Italian. The italics were conquered by the Romans, but the Roman empire was obviously Roman not the italic empire, but the peninsular was known as the Italicus peninsular after the largest italic tribes

[@georgestefan1698]

Severus was not "African". He was born in Lybia, but as other said, he was italian and pheonician

[@Karkafs-Desiderium]

He was Punic, Phoenician and Italic plus he was born in africa so yeah not only had he african blood in him but he also was born in africa.

[@charliesargent6225]

@@Karkafs-Desiderium Yeah, nice try revisionist. You're all over here trying that we wuz Africuns not Romanz sheeet.

[@nicodangond5822]

African doesn’t automatically mean black. And… Phoenicians were super African

[@NawDawgTheRazor]

The guy said “from Africa.” And he was definitely born in Africa.

[@Littleone124]

Being born in Africa makes him African 🤦‍♀️

[@dattilo1]

Not sure that Septimus Severus was excluded because he was african. I think you made a misstep in regards to fascism and racism. Racism wasn't really a big thing for the fascist movement, it was always about cultural superiority. Lots of early fascists were actually jews, and Mussolini even made statements belittling hitler's racial policies until he decided to become best friends with him.

[@A.Severan]

Plus, Septimius Severus was North African, Libyan. How people imagine “African” now, is very different from North Africans then and now.

[@Boretheory]

@@A.Severan his parents were one from Lebanon and the other from Tuscany so not african but ancient middle eastern/Etruscan

[@A.Severan]

@@Boretheory you missed my point, we’re not Netflix here. And no, he was Libyan-Punic. Libyan is Caucasian.

[@giorgiodifrancesco4590]

@@A.Severan You've right. Lybians at that time were Berbers. Punics were a mix between Lebanese people of that time (not of the comtemporaneity) and Berbers (when Berbers were not yet mixed with dark Africans, because didn't exist yet the Arab slave trade). So a Lybian-Punic was not so dark like a Lybian or a Tunisian of our time The great African slave trade made by Romans is a recent american thought. At that time, it cost less for the Romans to import slaves from other countries than from Nubia and, above all, when they took blacks, they used them on African farms (which was the wisest thing). Some black gladiators arrived in Italy. The remaining number of blacks present was irrelevant. I know that wokists don't like what I said, but reality is not a dream nor does it have an ideological agenda.

[@paolomargini7904]

Many years ago in Roma I asked an archaeologist about the problem of this wide road laid over God only knows how many interesting relics of the ancient civilisation, so that we might never come to know them. She answered that paradoxically, being sure that a lot of stuff under there is built with marble or other soft stones which are quickly deteriorated by rain and mainly by smog, it is better that the underlying Roman features are kept preserved under the road until future technologies could be able to do the job in a clean way.

[@gui18bif]

This road will become a future landmark. It's a tradeoff.

[@czechmeoutbabe1997]

I think Italian Fascism is a lot more important to understanding what Fascism is at it's core, but people always think that the Nazis are the OG for some reason

[@oppionatedindividual8256]

The Nazis aren’t fascists and they never claimed as much, they were National Socialists which while it sounds similar is separate of Fascism which Mussolini invented. The only other true fascists of the time was the British Union of Fascists, lead by Oswald Mosley. There was also the Silver Legion in the US although they were far more Nazi aligned ( in that national socialists believe in the supremacy of their race, whilst fascist believe in the supremacy of their culture ).

[@AverageAlien]

Nazism is not fascism

[@NaviRyan]

Their are two types of fascism Italian fascism and nazi fascism. Italian fascism came before, however it didn’t generate the same zealotry, and influence that nazi fascism had. Their is also the debate about nazi ideology being national socialists. In truth the nazi had various ideas from left/right wing influences, but above it all was their ultra nationalism. Essentially if a policy would help workers, but hurt the nation even in minuscule way the nazi’s would scrap it and continue oppressing the workers.

[@thesauceman8457]

@@oppionatedindividual8256blurred lines of supremacy and ideology. Fact is they both enacted laws targeting specific people they deemed subhuman or undesirable. Also Spains fascists under Franco were around this time. What they call themselves is mostly irrelevant though. They all were the furthest right wing extreme ideologies that were destructive in nature, authoritarian to the core, and absolutist. The authoritarian far left was also very similar looking at Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot etc. the common thread is hatred of democracy and human rights.

[@Boretheory]

@D.R no not really

[@XMarkxyz]

A couple more things not said for making the narration fit better or simply by inaccuracies: the EUR wasn't design as a suburb but as the place for the World Exhibition of '42 the letters spell it out (Esposizione Universale Roma), also there was only the skeleton of the buildings during the fascist regime and it was completed only in the '50s but the style was kept, to see an actual fascist "suburb" built during the regime just visit La Spienza University; the thing about Septimius Severus (yes you got the name wrong, there is an I missing) he was only half native from north africa (mixed berber and punic) the other half of his family (his mother's) was from an ancient Italian family, but the real reason why he is not celebrated is because traditionally it's the empire of Traianus the one recognized with most importance

[@Eugeneinrome]

Nothing Worse, than the personal opinions of a part time tourist in Rome, with very limited knowledge of history or architecture!

[@yamoto1833]

Notthing more true

[@Alexrassi]

Exactly!

[@jjperceval]

wrong. iron man 3 is worse.

[@giacomodifino151]

Love this comment.

[@MainulWasTaken]

Exactly and he promotes an advertisement where this app gives unbiased news I think he was very biased in this video What right now is Rome is very good and I think this few changes made Rome greater again

[@praetorianguard5696]

The Roman Empire reached it's maximum extension in 117dC, when Trajanus, who btw was born in Spain, ruled. I don't really know where you got Septimus Severus from.

[@conordowd2263]

Severus had embarked on a campaign against the Parthians and managed to acquire some territory in northern Mesopotamia. He also fought against the Garamantes in North Africa and acquired a good amount of territory there as well. I don’t know exactly how much land he conquered, and I’m not sure anyone really does because people still debate about whether the empire was bigger under Trajan or Severus. Trajan seems to be the more readily accepted in terms of who the empire was bigger under, but some people think it may have been Severus but ultimately we don’t know for sure

[@Marco-1997]

Born in Iberia in an italic settlement

[@itsMe_TheHerpes]

he got severus from the... politically correct hand bag. look at how severus is depicted in this vid. looks like he stayed in the sun for too long, lol.

[@praetorianguard5696]

@@itsMe_TheHerpes I mean, nothing wrong with the way he was depicted since he just showed the "Severan Tondo" which is one of the few preserved panel paintings from Ancient Rome (this one was made to depict himself and his family in 200AD). I'm referring to the idea that the largest roman landmass was during his reign.

[@itsMe_TheHerpes]

@@praetorianguard5696 well if you can't see the link between how he is depicted in this vid and why is he here, then i am afraid you are not a good historian.

[@daga6121]

Don't act like you don't know that the ancient romans were obsessed with egyptian obelisks.

[@allanrinaldipaone9850]

No I don't think he knew that along with a lot of other things he screwed up.

[@IluminatorLP]

4:44 the original obelisks were actually brought in from Egypt during the Imperial Rome. In the medieval age most were lost and only found in the renaissance/baroque. There Pope Sixtus used them as part if his transformation of Rome into a pilgrimage city. He build a road system connecting the 7 most important churches and marking them with the old obelisks. The Via dei Fori Imperiale references that system. Were as before there was an emphasis on the connection if the Lateran and Vatican, he connected his new monument with the Colosseum. The obelisk in the EUR again connects that fascist effort with the historic fabric of the city. I am sorry if I mixed up some minor details, but the architectural history lectures about Rome I attended were a few years ago

[@EG-xv3wd]

That monument called "Vittoriano" or "Altare della Patria" (Altar of the Fatherland) doesn't celebrate the founding of the Italian Repubblic (1946). It celebrates the King Vittorio Emanuale II who unified Italy (1868) for the first time after the fall of Rome and its Empire. That's also the reson why the monument has a classical architecture that recalls the ancient Roman temples. It also celebrates the Italian Victory in WWI with the final annexion of Trento and Trieste to the Italian State and it is the tomb of the unknow soldier. It is one of the most sacre monument in Italy.

[@alexisancrath4343]

As a soon to be History Major I want to add to what it is said here: l'Altare della Patria or Vittoriano (this second name derivies by the fact that it was dedicated to Italy's first king Victor Emanuel II), the monument that is linked to the Colusseum thanks to Via dei Fori Imperiali, was actually built to celebrate the conquest of Rome in 1871 by the Kingdom of Italy and to celebrate the "final step" of Italian Unification (for some people and historians the actual final step was actually the annexation of the austro-hungarian territories during the First World War) and in the propaganda of the time it meant the final return of a new glory age of the city just like the Roman age after years of "Dark Ages", a propaganda which Mussolini used as well for its new regime. So the fact that this road connect the greatest symbol of the Romans, the Colosseum, and the greatest symbol of the Risorgimento, the italian period of unification, it simbolizes the connection between this two eras. Mussolini wanted that because he stylizes the fascist moviment as the epythemy of the Risorgimento. So this road is also the symbol of a connection between Ancient Rome and the Risorgimento and a return to the glory days, all which Mussolini wants its party to be linked with. This is also why he had no regard for the old medieval districts there and demolished them P.S.: sorry for my bad english, hope this message was undestood. I want to thanks this channel to talk about this story that is not even commonly known here in Italy and more unfortuantely not even here in Rome by most citizens, as both an Italian and a citizen of this beautiful city I hope this video will inform more people about the way the fascist regime used architecture as a way of propaganda and how it destroyed important and crucial parts and comunities of Rome

[@GeoPePeTto]

Perfectly comprehensible. Now I know why Mussolini was always wearing that MIGA hat.

[@XMarkxyz]

1:13 That monument celebrates not the republic but the founding of Italy as a state (kingdom at that time) by the first king that unified Italy Vittorio Emanuele II, that's why it is also called Vittoriano; than after the Great War the tomb of the unknown soldier was added an so the second name Altare della Patria (Fatherland's Altar)

[@Homer-OJ-Simpson]

I was in Rome 1.5 yrs ago. That road and the building at the end (Altar of the Fatherland) are right by the most popular ruins. It is a beautiful building though it's a little out of place next to ruins. Rome is just the best city in the world for tourist. Where else can you see so many 2000ish year old buildings? And it has some very beautiful late middle ages / Renaissance. to early modern / Baroque buildings (1400-s to 1700's) . And it's all walkable. Plus you have the Vatican just a walk away from the historic parts of Rome!

[@sasi5841]

Constantinople/Istanbul? Alexandria/islanderiyya? Damascus?

[@muscledavis5434]

​@@sasi5841 in Istanbul for example you have like 3-4 poorly preserved ancient Roman buildings (Hagia Sophia is not from antiquity). Rome is the only place where the ancient topography is to such an extend visible and connected with the later parts of the town and with such a huge number of monuments still standing. You have other cities where it's like this but to a much smaller extend. Nimes, Pula, Spalato, Verona for example. And you have other places where the whole ancient town is visible, but not integrated into later City infrastructure and often with only few structures standing over 1 m tall. Timgad, Perge, Palmyra (destroyed by IS), Ephesus to name a few. Pompeii would also fit in this category, though it's buildings are beautifully preserved. But while all of these places are awesome, there is only one ROME. A City where it doesn't really matter where you are or where you look, the incredibly old and important history of this place is always present and you couldn't deny it even if you wanted to. From the renaissance on, that connection to the past became an important part of the present and the New developments of the city, which makes it all feel even more connected. Sonething that a place like Istanbul, that didn't have Renaissance or classicism, are missing. That's what makes Rome so special to me.

[@allanrinaldipaone9850]

@@muscledavis5434 Here here!

[@aselliofacchio]

​@@sasi5841 Damascus? 😂😂😂 Yeah sure if you want to die in a terrorist attack then sure damascus is the right choice 👍🏻

[@sasi5841]

@@aselliofacchio examples of place with >2000 years old structures, OP implied rome was the only place. Also you won't instantly die if you go to those places like you're suggesting

[@JJT3001]

I would like to add, that the "roman salute" isnt actually roman and was actually made up by a french artist called Jacques-Louis David in 1784 in his painting "The Oath of the Horatii". Romans had a similar greeting but it wasnt the roman salute

[@rhnem]

Yeah it was more of a modern roman salute, like you would see in the streets of Rome, where the hand isn't straight, just like you would do when you say mortacci tua e della madonna cane odio i calabresi

[@juanmosterdijk6689]

Even though Septimus Severus was a "foreigner", so was Trajan as well. He came from Itálica (Nowadays Santiponce near Sevilla, Spain) as Hadrian also did, his successor. Furthermore, these are two of the greatest Roman emperors and part of the Five Good Emperors. I would argue that citizenship was the most important factor for Romans, more than the place of birth. Nevertheless, it may be true that the fascist regimen in Italy would prefer to advocate for a "Spanish/Iberian" emperor than for an "African" emperor. Having made my point clear, I also want to say that I find your videos very interesting and informative; knowing how to expose things of the present day that have an origin in the past. Keep up the good work. Greetings from a Spanish-Dutchman in Seville. P.S.: If you ever come to this city, here you have a local guide.

[@tonyclough9844]

He came from the Roman Empire and had citizenship.

[@AlexanderLittlebears]

Settimio Severo ergeva statue ad Annibale, era un traditore

[@BlupillatiSchifosi]

Trajan was born in spain but his family comes from gens ulpia from umbria ( italy) he was not a stranger.

[@Highollow]

> Furthermore, these are two of the greatest Roman emperors and part of the Five Good Emperors. Trajan was, Severus wasn't one of the Five Good Emperors.

[@joangallardo9645]

@@Highollow Hadrian was also from Hispania. It's not like Britain and its colonies: if you were from any province in the Roman empire you were not a foreigner, you were a Roman from the provinces. Just like fictional Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crow in the movie Gladiator)

[@ciaotiziocaius4899]

Thanks for making this video (even though I suggest you research some topics with better attention). I live in Rome and every time I walk on that road I cannot stop from thinking of how much of our city’s history we lost for building it.

[@anta3612]

This happened in other Italian cities too. I'm from Northern Italy and in my town Mussolini had an entire medieval neighbourhood razed to the ground to create a piazza with modern buildings (in grandiose fascist architectural style). It was actually a huge monument to himself (similar to how an ancient roman emperor would have operated). Those who previously had lived in the neighbourhood were displaced and their livelihoods, consisting of small businesses and shops, were destroyed.

[@ciaotiziocaius4899]

@@anta3612 oh cielo, dove?

[@anta3612]

@@ciaotiziocaius4899 Brescia.

[@giozpack7655]

allora è meglio che smetti di studiare la storia. Lo sai che tutte le pietre che mancano a tutti i monumenti che esistono in giro per il mondo da più di 12000 anni sono state usate per costruire altro? Hai la più pallida idea di quanta storia sia scomparsa a causa del riciclo? Non studiarlo che poi non riuscirai più a smettere di pensare

[@ciaotiziocaius4899]

@@giozpack7655 eh ma dai? Basta entrare in una qualunque chiesa di Roma per rendersi conto del riutilizzo che è stato fatto dei marmi e delle pietre antiche, peccato che qui stiamo parlando di distruzione sistematica di zone storiche a fini propagandistici e non di naturale corso del tempo.

[@lauradisilvestri1510]

4:45 about obelisks, you’re right, they’re egyptian! Emperor Augustus was the first emperor to bring them to Rome. They were percieved as a symbol of the everlasting cycle of the sun (and so, the wish of an eternal empire) as well of the symbol of “Aegyptus capta” after the defeat of Queen Cleopatra VII. The two first egyptian obelisks erected in Rome were Obelisk Flaminio, once decorating Circus Maximo, and Obelisk Montecitorio, once part of the Horologium Augusti, a sundial in the north of the city.

[@dissapointingopinions4877]

From Romulus to Mussolini, hail the Italian people and the peninsula of divinity.

[@occidentadvocate.9759]

\o

[@frien_d]

You mighy want to start looking into obelisks, stolen obelisks and returned obelisks afterwards, in paris and rome. Lot of lore.

[@_MrMoney]

Another thing about Trajan is that, ironically, he wasn't a full-blooded Italian either, he was born in modern-day Spain.

[@kamala_paradise]

Mussolini and his politics would have lived on In Italy if Mussolini had been on the winning team. The winners write the history books.

[@tragopan77]

...how is this evil?

[@Henry_Nehring]

Jewish Propaganda, the Nasis and Italian Fas..... were good people who actually cared about their people, destroyed mafia , protected culture, made a good society for women and children, had real freedom. watch Europa The Last Battle.

[@faustoribeiro9189]

They forced People tô move out of their homes and abandom their jobs for the road to be created

[@charliesargent6225]

@@faustoribeiro9189 Ewwwww scary...that's done all over the world today including America

[@christianwestling2019]

@@faustoribeiro9189 Something that has happened everywhere. I guess most highways and railroads are evil then.

[@patricksmodels]

"Evil" is just click bait!

[@krzysztofzwolinski956]

4:47 Obelisk located on the sant peters square was transported from Egypt by Romans to be decoration to Nero's circus. In early baroque it was moved to its current position at the main axis

[@jonnyd9351]

This is buzzfeed level history😂

[@Ross-cecil]

I visited Rome about a year ago, thanks for giving context to my trip

[@ThePresentPast_]

Pleasure

[@Ross-cecil]

@@nicktamer4969 lol k

[@giorgospapoutsakis5271]

​@@nicktamer4969 the only bs i see here is you mrnick

[@silvesta5027]

@@nicktamer4969 What were your main problems with this video?

[@JPKnapp-ro6xm]

For what it's worth, there are fasces prominently displayed in the U.S. House of Representatives. They were installed there long before anyone heard of Mussolini.

[@danielefabbro822]

By the way, to be honest, Italy seems now to be really close to ancient Rome. Rome was founded by Romulus and Remus and immediately after that it became a Kingdom with seven kings that ruled her until Romans decided to institute the Republic. Italy had 4 kings, one dictator (that values as a couple of kings) and then we have four potential aspirants to the throne. Victor Emanuel, his son Emanuele Filiberto and the Savoia-Aosta arm of Aimone di Savoia-Aosta and his son, that is alleged to be the rightful herald of the throne. Still, Italy decided to became a republic. Now we just need a new Caesar and, with him, Italy will found a new Empire. 😎 Of course we already have an empire, not made by land, but by culture and arts and science. A large part of human culture and science was made by italians. Its so vast that even Hollywood struggles to find elements to compete with our pluri-millennial cultural and scientific heritage. 😎 But I think our new empire will be made somewhere else, since Earth is now settled and there's no room for expansion, maybe its the time to conquer the space. Yesterday we sent one of our probes to Jupiter, almost entirely made in Italy. With the biggest solar panels ever made for a probe. Our scientists and engineers have already made a new space shuttle, from the next year we will start again (probably from what we have left in past) to produce nuclear powered reactors for our armed forces ships (we do not allow to build nuclear weapons, while we are perfectly capable to make them). Soon it will come the time Italy will settle in space and build her own new empire.

[@johngarofano7356]

You make me proud to be an italian .I leave in Australia now but I was born in Italy and left my homeland at the age of 12 .Every single day I always think of Italy , and very very proud of my culture ,no other nation comes even close !!!

[@FastGDG]

Man, this is too much even for me 😅

[@zedlisakattz2301]

Italy doesn't need a new empire....just less persons like you....

[@themightypizzadevourer6018]

Warhammer 40k vibes lol

[@danielefabbro822]

Its not too much. We can do more.

[@paolirejosef3392]

I thing everyone agrees that the biggest exstension was reached under trajan and he was from southern spain

[@jtgd]

Including power proxy

[@urbanfile3861]

Roman Emperors stopped to be Italian since the end of first century. Or at least, few were Italian born, many from other provinces of the Empire

[@Boretheory]

Trajan was from a Hispano-italian mixed family so he was half Italian half not” there fixed

[@katmannsson]

@@Boretheory He was a Provincial from Hispania: This is all that is relevant.

[@InfoRome]

@An Italian Theorist, not even half-Hispanic, he was just Italian. His hometown was literally called Italica since it was an Italian colony in Spain settled by people from the Italian region of Umbria. Both his dad and mom trace their origins in central Italy. Trajan was an Italian born in a Roman colony in Spain (literally called Italica for being an Italian colony).

[@Theodisc]

I know that Mussolini wasn't very nice, and I do feel for the residents who were evicted from their homes which were then destroyed, but these do not make the Via dei Fori Imperiale Italy's evilest road, do they?

[@dannyesse3043]

I have lived in EUR. Yes it can seem a bit cold, but I liked the artificial lake where I use to go rowing, there was nightlife and good metro connections to the city centre. Another great thing is that there are so many free parking spaces, which isn’t usually the case in Rome. So even if there are a lot of offices, it’s easy to park your car. I also want to add that you can find the odd one, but most inhabitants aren’t fascist 😊

[@Bolognabeef]

1:13 "this monument" aka the Vittoriano, wasn't built to celebrate the republic as no republic existed yet. As the name suggests it was built in honour of the first king of Italy Victor Emmanuel II and as a monument to Italian unification

[@brickarchitekt835]

Just to be clear there was no black roman emperor he was born in a province the son of italiens who moved there

[@radiomilano2346]

Quite a semplicistic video about Fascism and Italian Rationalism

[@andreagv3]

That's the problem when foreigners make videos about Italy, the research and the history are usually off.

[@grantottero4980]

The "monument" ("il Vittoriale", were the "Alltare della Patria" = "Altar of the Fatherland" and "Tomba del Milite Ignoto" = "The Unknown Soldier's Grave" are) was, indeed, built NOT to celebrate the birth of rhe Italian REPUBLIC, but of the KINGDOM of Italy, who managed to unite the nation ..

[@paulemerick8661]

I don't think it's fully accurate to say Septimius Severus was a foreigner. He has part Roman (in the native sense)/Italic/Italian ancestry on his mother's side in addition to Punic (his dad's side) last time I checked.

[@Karkafs-Desiderium]

He was darker then most emperors to that point, not only was he born in africa but he also had punic and phoenician blood in him.

[@paulemerick8661]

@@Karkafs-Desiderium He was darker than most emperors but still part Italian/Italic (on his mom's side) in addition to being part Punic on his dad's. Punic btw means the same thing as Phoenician essentially but usually applied to Phoenicians in the Western Mediterranean and is the Latin word for Greek derived term of Phoenician. Other Roman Emperors were born from actual Roman/Italian (or Italic) descended/partially descended families in provinces outside of Italy. Trajan was another notable one granted last time I checked both his maternal and paternal ancestries were Italic/ancient Italian.

[@charliesargent6225]

@@Karkafs-Desiderium Yeah, nice try revisionist. You're all over here trying that we wuz Africuns not Romanz sheeet.

[@RinascimentoCulturale]

Great video! I'm italian and I didn't know about the origin of the fori imperiali road!

[@johansjournal]

Another great video. I've been to Rome a few times and this just shed a new light on some of the sights. awesome

[@nunocbnunocb5875]

The monument to celebrate the "founding of the Italian republic"? Victor Emanuel II was the King who founded Italy as a unified nation and the monument honours him.

[@Dominic-tq6dw]

Amazing and incredibile architecture 🔝🇮🇹

[@gioxinfinity]

He also issued the construction of Via della Conciliazione, the street that goes from Castel Sant’Angelo to Saint Peter’s basilica. The houses that were in between met the same fate of the ones you mentioned in the video. And what is noteworthy is the impact that the street had on St. Peter's Square. In fact, one of the most particular aspect of Lorenzo Bernini’s opera was the constrast between the narrow street of Borgo Pio surrounding the Basilica and the enormous square, that people experienced going to the Vatican City. This effect that was obviously lost with the construction of the massive street (which on the other hand gives a sensational view)

[@Podzzy]

I much prefer the current sensational view, but I would never have razed historic buildings to the ground. The same goes for Via dei Fori Imperiali.

[@PAHDIJDFFDL]

The Severus thing is absurd, considering Trajan was Iberian. Both of them were 100% Roman, only not from Rome but from the provinces. It's like saying Macron isn't French just because he wasn't born in Paris

[@mikesiciliano210]

Septimius Severus WAS Italian. He was born to Italian parents in Libya, which was part of Rome. Furthermore, Mussolini did not try to make himself an emperor. Italy already had an emperor at this time. Mussolini was simply prime minister. Also, fascist architecture is grand and inspiring. This was a silly video.

[@MrNyikan]

If you look around ancient Rome, there's obelisks everywhere. For the Colosseo Quadrato, look at Dybala's presentations 😊

[@allanrinaldipaone9850]

He chose not to do his homework and just be Italophobic as well as sophomoric.

[@itacom2199]

As someone who was born and raised in Rome, I think I can share some history. First of all, the working class people who were displaced from the historical center to the suburbs were basically doomed to isolation and material misery. Those suburbs were often cut off from the rest of the city, they lacked running water and electricity and the only place for social interaction was often the local church. The houses were made with cheap materials and usually they were too small to house what would have been a family made of up to a dozen people. One must not be surprised, then, when learning that, after the armistice of September 8th 1943 most of the partisans that started fighting in and around Rome against the Germans and the fascist collaborators were actually from those same suburbs. Their life had been made hell by fascists, the least they could do was to take revenge.

[@righteousviking]

Idk if Severus was considered to be a "foreigner" just because he was from Africa. He was 100% Roman

[@christiaanw]

yo ik vind je vids echt leuk ga zo door man :)

[@luiginocm]

There is another road similar to Via dei Fori Imperiali that Mussolini built after demolishing an old neighbourhood: Via della Conciliazione which connects the Tiber to the Vatican. It was completed after the war.

[@paulallen8329]

8:30 are there any real sources for this claim?

[@Rikortez]

No.

[@wernerrimus6982]

So..why evil? Your evidences sound to me childish. 'ooohh this road was done by a fascist!! Oooohh is a evil thing!!'

[@danielefabbro822]

And that is the "Palace of the Italian Civilization". On the top there is the inscription: "A nation of poets, artists, heroes, saints, thinkers, scientists, sailors and migrants".

[@thevoid5503]

Milan's Central Station is another (actually beautiful) example of Mussolini era architecture.

[@urbanfile3861]

Yes and no. Because they started the construction well before fascism took power and its design is not the standard fascist style (as the one at the EUR shown in the video). Obviously, as fascism during the construction was in power, they added fascism regime symbolism. But that was not a fascist regime work per se. Mussolini didn't even attend the inauguration.

[@allanrinaldipaone9850]

@@urbanfile3861 I must agree. I see that station as quite an eclectic mix of styles such as: Beaux Arts or Umbertine in Italy, Assyrian some classical elements, but overly massive and honestly an eyesore. The Italian Court of Cassation if that is the name near to Castel San't Angelo is another building which I believe is identified as Umbertine and I find heavy and lacking in charm. What do you think?

[@urbanfile3861]

@@allanrinaldipaone9850 decades ago Milanese used to mock the style of Milano Centrale by calling it Assiro-Milanese

[@inaridats]

The White monument (the typewriter) was built After world war I, when Italy was a Kingdom,not a republic. It celebrates all the unknown soldiers who Lost their lives during w.w.I

[@smllinaress]

I just found your channel, and watched your video about Johnny Harris... and I must admit that I'm a bit disgusted; specially because you focused on talking about Spanish Colonialism a little too much, and made many mistakes along the way, by omitting very important facts that I as a "Hispanic" with a strong indigenous background, must tell you; facts such as: • That even though lots of indigenous peoples did die from the "conquest" (mainly due to disease), the ethnic makeup of the Canary Islands and the former Spanish Colonies in the Americas are similar; Natives were NOT wiped out. Near to 40% of people from the Canary Islands nowadays have been prooved (with genetic testing) to have North African ancestry, directly linked to the original inhabitants of the islands: the Guanche. And in the case of the Americas, over 50% of "Hispanics" living there have Native blood as well (there are a couple of exceptions though, such as Argentina and Uruguay). But yeah, most of us are considered "Mestizo"... but Mestizo doesn't translate to a 50/50 mix; "Mestizaje" (blood mixing) is a wide spectrum, ranging from "Castizos" (which are about ¾ Caucasian), to people that are fully indigenous but wrongly identify as Mixed. I'm Mixed myself, and I'm well aware of what exactly am I; of which tribes I have roots from: Barí, Jirajara, Caquetío. So, my point is: the Spaniards colonized mainly by mixing; obviously, they did impose their language and religion, but it's not like our indigenous traditions fully died out; they're still pretty much part of us. We preserve words, foods, and in some cases even religion. And also, I must say that the Spanish "plantation economy" wasn't as harsh as that of the Portuguese, French and English; in many regions throughout the Spanish Americas, that system wasn't even implemented at all. Those who suffered the most from it were modern-day Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, etc. The Spanish Antilles.

[@stevieg6418]

So...what makes it evil? I must of missed that part...

[@kw7709]

Is he not alluding to Mussolini's alliance with Hitler and the complete and utter failure of the fascist movement in Italy - - the road represents a path to absolute power, war, and being on the wrong side of history.

[@charliesargent6225]

@@kw7709 Utter failure as in ...Italy conquered 5 countries, was awarded the territory they won in France, and won the Spanish civil war vs. the Communist. Aside from Russia and Germany no other European country performed better, or stated another way, Italy was the 3rd best performing European country of the war.

[@spaniardsrmoors6817]

@@kw7709 WW II Empire larger than Germany's

[@matteorizzi487]

"everything a bad guy does must be evil"

[@dreamystone]

@@charliesargent6225 Conveniently forgetting Greece abandonding their civil war to utterly humiliate Mussolini after he invaded, tie up axis powers and delay the attack on Russia long enough for nazis to freeze to death. Maybe he's not solely responsible for the result of the war, but oh boy did he contribute 😁

[@TheJayman213]

Oh, your Indonesia Part 2 is out. Nice, I'll have to check that out next

[@ThePresentPast_]

do it

[@freeman8128]

People can be evil but roads are never evil.

[@letspetpuppies]

Man I was just watching this and I got a noti Johnny Harris uploaded smth too. Guess I’m stuck here for a while

[@watipamkandawire3330]

Lol me too😂

[@ThePresentPast_]

sorry for taking you off your work!

[@whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat]

i just went to Rome and the tour guide explained that pretty much every straight, wide, "modern looking" road is because of Mussolini. he wanted to connect ancient Rome with his regime. you can really tell the difference between the normal streets of Rome meant mostly for pedestrians and ones that are meant for cars. Via dei Fori Imperiali is the best example, because even from street level you can feel the Colosseum almost bearing down on you. Even the Roman Forum which it runs along, and which was buried below street level, seems almost as oppressive. it's crazy how architecture under fascism really captures that brutalist style, and even puts a spin on things that were there already, completely separate from that idea, and give them that fascist architecture dreadful feeling. really really fascinating stuff, especially seeing it with your own eyes how it was intended to be seen. amazing video btw

[@cyclend3397]

11:12 "Altare della Patria" was not built to celebrate Italian Reoublic, but to celebrate the founding of Italian Kingdom back in 19th century. Italian Republic was born in 1948.

[@abogoni]

i dont know much about musalini or fashism - but i really like the new italian government that promises "to make italy great again"

[@danesovic7585]

We got a smart-ass here.

[@mrDKqqq]

Another great video!

[@gs7828]

He highlighted the connection with Rome, but he didn't create it.

[@JM-hf9bl]

So being proud of your past and wanting to continue it is a teenage obsession...?

[@DickyMorin]

How could that monument celebrate the founding of the Italian Republic when Italy was still a kingdom at the time the monument was built?

[@Jusvidz]

its funny that he part he finds cold and devoid of life just looks like everywhere in america

[@ThePresentPast_]

Haha I'll let you be the judge of that

[@eolobrontolo9117]

After all, he is an intelligent man.🙂

[@SaraWilsonBasturk]

I was looking at it and thinking how much it looks like some American downtowns. (Sorry Tulsa, you make up for it in other ways) 😭

[@allanrinaldipaone9850]

@@eolobrontolo9117 The number of DM's would indicate that he had to be corrected on numerous points, self praise is no praise.

[@eolobrontolo9117]

@@allanrinaldipaone9850 😉

[@labaglia0146]

Great video!! Vero interesting

[@kamale2113]

I am from Libya and Septimus Severus was Liban from Leptis manga and his wife Julia Domina was Syria from Aphamia, the word Africa and African mean originally the panics of Tripolitania and Tunisia

[@mattauge2428]

Thankyou for your perspective. - new subscriber

[@emex313]

It's cold and devoid of life because those more recent buildings are built way too close together. There's no balance like the Roman's had between modern and ancient. Nature and structure. Those new buildings are as compact as a modern downtown city.

[@jacoporizzuto267]

Great video! As a Roman myself, I really enjoyed it. I think this comments section is a bit harsh on you. After all you talked about decades of history in a relatively short and very entertaining video, it would have been inevitable to make some small mistakes or omit some details.

[@arx3516]

Obelisks are indeed egyptians, but the romans stole a few of them and placed them in Rome. Mussolini also planned to steal some other obelisks.

[@marco0445]

Top tier content. I laughed my ass off at that one picture of Mussolini and its similarity to Putin. Im looking forward to new vids!

[@allanrinaldipaone9850]

Well he never had hair transplants like that egotistical Biden.

[@FruitSaladHD]

Walking on road before watching this doc: This road will get me to my destination Walking on road after watching this doc: This road will get me to my destination

[@nicovinas]

Lol, Trajan was born in Spain, Septimus Severus being born in Africa has nothing to do with it. Traditionally Trajan is considered the last emperor to expand the empire to the largest frontiers, thanks to his Dacian conquest. Drawing at straws with that one.

[@glennabate1708]

Roads can’t be evil that’s as crazy as saying roads are racist I heard that before to. Has everyone gone crazy

[@nemesis4534]

Nice video but I do see bias. I think it's somewhat hilarious that he calls this Italy's most evil road because Mussolini kicked out some unfortunate residents and potentially destroyed some historical buildings, while there are roads connecting from Rome where people were crucified by the thousands in the Servile Wars.

[@rod9829]

7:45 do you have any evidence that this had any bearing on decision making, it really seems a lot like projection and ignorance on your part (being Roman was cultural)

[@rod9829]

Trajan was born in Hispania 😂😂😂😂

[@davidrogers8030]

@@rod9829 Yeah, but Mussolini was a tad nationalist and cultural sensibilities had drifted since ancient times,

[@rod9829]

@@davidrogers8030 yes but still no evidence provided that this influenced anything, when I say projecting it aligns with what your saying but from a modern day, “he wasn’t chosen because he was born in North Africa, how problematic” as opposed to the real reason, that Trajan is just a more important figure

[@Marco-1997]

@@rod9829 true, born in italica in Iberia, an italic settlement though

[@davidrogers8030]

@@rod9829 That seems reasonable. I was thinking it wasn't an absurd hypothesis, but you're right it wasn't presented as speculation.

[@FrancescoBedini]

The biggest extent of the Roman empire was not under Severus. And Severus wasn't nor African nor black. He was bron from a Roman family and married a Roman wife. Stop changing history into what you like.

[@catherinechiara3914]

Fascinating video. Thank you for this historical information!

[@carausiuscaesar5672]

What did the Romans ever do for us?

[@MrWolf-xk8sl]

To be honest I love "fascist" architecture, the squared colosseum, EUR, and above all: the stadium of the marbles is one of my favourites. It's next to the Stadio Olimpico, you can't miss it!

[@tadesubaru1383]

"he hasn't left that phase" me, a classical philologist: o_O

[@anaximandros9649]

I don’t know why septimius Severus was brought up, the empire was biggest under Trajan and he wasn’t Italian either, his whole thing was that he was the first foreign emperor.

[@anaximandros9649]

​@@nicktamer4969 Well what made someone Roman or Provincial wasn't where they were born, it's where their family was from and where they were raised. It also helps if they spoke Latin with an accent. Also Claudius was only born in Gaul because his father was stationed there at the time, he was otherwise from the imperial family and it mattered to their public image that they had a presence at the empire's frontiers.

[@tizioincognito161]

Small correction, the monument cited, the vittoriale, or the altar of the fatherland wasnt built to commemorate the founding of the italian republic, but to celebrate the victory if tbe kingdom of italy after ww1 and what was considered at the time the completion of the reunjfication of the kingdom of italy, infact in the central part of the monument is a huge equestrian statue of italy's first king victor emmanuel II

[@FastGDG]

Vittoriano! Il Vittoriale è la casa di D’Annunzio sul Garda.

[@billykotsos4642]

7:36. That's a major reach .... also it is possible to debate pretty much everything...

[@flyerplanet]

It's True, the obelisk is not Roman but it was copied from the Washington monument and even the dome of the congress was later copied by the clueless Michelangelo. The excavation of Via dei fori imperiali was a serious mistake that destroyed historical artifacts but less than the damage caused by the bombs on Baghdad