Since its formation in 1861, Italy has struggled to develop an
effective political system and a secure sense of national identity.
This new edition of Christopher Duggan’s acclaimed introduction charts the country’s history from the fall of the Roman
Empire in the West to the present day and surveys the difficulties
Italy has faced during the last two centuries in forging a nation
state. Duggan successfully weaves together political, economic,
social and cultural history, and stresses the alternation between
materialist and idealist programmes for forging a nation state.
This second edition has been thoroughly revised and updated to
offer increased coverage of nineteenth- and twentieth-century
Italy, as well as a new section devoted to Italy in the twenty-first
century. With a new, extensive bibliographical essay and a
detailed chronology, this is the ideal resource for those seeking
an authoritative and comprehensive introduction to Italian
history.