Remaking Italy in the Twentieth Century

By (author) Roy Palmer Domenico

Paperback - £30.00

Publication date:

19 November 2002

Length of book:

200 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9780847696369

Although the unification of Italy in 1870 initially defined the nation's geographic boundaries, Italians faced the new challenge of determining their nation's social, political, and cultural identity as they entered the twentieth century. In Remaking Italy in the Twentieth Century, noted scholar Roy P. Domenico examines the struggle between Liberals, Fascists, Marxists, and Catholics to recast the nation according to their visions. As he focuses on Italy's political course, Domenico deftly highlights the economic, social, and cultural changes that accompanied the shifts in governmental power. In describing those who shaped modern Italy, Domenico reveals how an agricultural society—divided by region, language, and culture—was transformed into a modern state, still faced with regional tension, ethnic division, and the problems inherent in post-modern society.

Straightforward and succinct, Remaking Italy in the Twentieth Century will be of great value to all interested in Italian history and culture.
Domenico's concise and succinct yet comprehensive book is perhaps the best general introduction to Italy in the twentieth century that we have in English. It is one of the very few that treats Liberal, Fascist, and post-war Italy, detailing the political, social, economic, and cultural life of each epoch. Domenico paints a lively portrait of Italy and the Italians as they try to define themselves in a most tumultuous century.