A Concise History of Italy (2^nd Ed., Revised edition) Cambridge Concise Histories Series

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.

1. The geographical determinants of disunity: the vulnerability of a long peninsula; 2. Disunity and conflict: from the Romans to the Renaissance, 400–1494, the Dark Ages, 400–1000; 3. Stagnation and reform, 1494–1789: the invasions of Italy; 4. The emergence of the national question, 1789–1849: the impact of the French Revolution; 5. Italy united; 6. The liberal state and the social question, 1870–1900: the taking of Rome; 7. Giolitti, the First World War, and the rise of Fascism: economic growth and the idealist revolt; 8. Fascism: return to order, 1922–5; 9. The republic: the resistance, 1943–5; Bibliographical essay; Chronology.

Christopher Duggan is Professor of Modern Italian History at the University of Reading. He has written extensively on many aspects of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Italy. His books include Fascism and the Mafia (1989), Francesco Crispi: From Nation to Nationalism (2002), The Force of Destiny: A History of Italy since 1796 (2007) and Fascist Voices: An Intimate History of Mussolini's Italy (2012). All his books have been translated into Italian. He is a Commendatore of the Ordine della Stella della Solidarietà Italiana, a title conferred by the President of Italy.