Modern Italy

This course will explore Italian history from the Napoleonic invasions to the present. We will begin with 19th-century Italian nationalism, the Risorgimento, liberalism, and modernization. We will examine how Italy's “mutilated” victory in WWI led to fascism and the alliance with Nazi Germany. We will explore the various ways in which following defeat in WWII, Italy saw dramatic changes, from the "economic miracle" and major cultural movements of the 1950s and 1960s, to the conflict between Christian Democracy and Communism, the persistence of the Mafia, left- and right- wing terrorism, and the failure of government to usher out corruption and establish political stability. 3 hrs. lect/disc.