A History of Modern Italy: Transformation and Continuity, 1796 to the Present

A History of Modern Italy: Transformation and Continuity, 1796 to the Present

A History of Modern Italy addresses the question of how Italy's modern history--from its prolonged process of nation-building in the nineteenth century to the crises of the last two decades--has produced a paradoxical blend of hyper-modernity and traditionalism that sets the country apart in the broader context of Western Europe. Author Anthony L. Cardoza explores how Italians have experienced seismic shifts in their social and economic landscape over the past two centuries, while simultaneously maintaining older cultural norms, social practices, and political methods. The book's narrative of modern Italy incorporates and blends the research findings and methodological insights of the new quantitative and cultural historical scholarship of the past twenty-five years. In doing so, the book chronicles the regime changes that have taken the country from a liberal monarchy, through a fascist dictatorship, to a democratic republic while also delving into the economic and social history of the nation through these periods. "Cardoza's discussion of the postwar period and fascism are the best part of the work. He highlights Mussolini as a skilled leader who knew how to exploit the political system and how to tame his more extreme Fascist rivals to take and hold power." -- Spencer M. Di Scala, Journal of Modern History "Anthony Cardoza has written a clear, concise, and highly readable survey of modern Italy that seamlessly integrates the economic, political, and social history of the Italian state from the Risorgimento to the present day. A History of Modern Italy helps students not only understand the tremendous changes that Italy has undergone since unification, but also how traditional values and institutions have shaped Italian modernization. It is an essential introduction to Italian history for students and general readers."--Alexander De Grand, North Carolina State University " A History of Modern Italy provides fresh and exciting understandings of politics on the peninsula from unification until today. The book offers new insights into traditional institutional topics--liberalism, fascism, and the Republic--but also looks at the subcultures that paralyzed the nation from the very establishment of the Kingdom. Cardoza deftly describes the narrowness of the governing class, the paralysis in state administration, and popular challenges to official constructions of italianità."--Alice A. Kelikian, Brandeis University A comprehensive yet concise history of Modern Italy from 1796 to the present Anthony L. Cardoza is Professor of Modern European History at Loyola University Chicago.