Protestant nations

Italy and Spain are more corrupt and less economically successful than most Protestant nations

This. When Luther translated the Bible to German, he translated 'job' as 'Beruf'. That word has an almost religious meaning, as in 'calling'. It's something you have to do.

Just look how worklike Americans are in comparison to Italians, who don't take shit seriously.

what these guys said
Max Weber has an interesting point of view on the matter. "The Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism" is actually a pretty easy read.
Basically, Protestants think of hard work and economic success as personnal duty (virtue from within) and confirmation from God, respectively, while catholics tend to see work merely as a means to the end of surviving and focus more on external signs of virtue (and think being rich is a sin). Catholics rely on someting that almost resembles karma when considering life after death, while protestants tend to be all "fuck you i'm a chosen one and my success is proof", hence the differing work ethics

Ireland along with Switzerland are the best European countries, while France, Italy and Spain are third-world shitholes.

hahahaha
>Ireland is any good and France can be lumped together with Spain and Italy
10/10 gave me a hearty laugh
ireland is mississippi-tier get real ya sheep fucking potato starved fucks

Successful in what, exactly?

Italian renaissance period invented capitalism you pleb.

>Just look how worklike Americans are in comparison to Italians, who don't take shit seriously.
Italian Americans are one of the most successful minorities in murrica

Economy, war, etc

B-b-but muh work ethic.