A Concise History of Italy PDF Download

Author: Christopher Duggan
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521408486
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 348

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Book Description
A concise history of Italy from the fall of the Roman empire in the west to the present day.

Author: Jeremy Black
Publisher: Robinson
ISBN: 1472140885
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 304

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Book Description
Despite the Roman Empire's famous 500-year reign over Europe, parts of Africa and the Middle East, Italy does not have the same long national history as states such as France or England. Divided for much of its history, Italy's regions have been, at various times, parts of bigger, often antagonistic empires, notably those of Spain and Austria. In addition, its challenging and varied terrain made consolidation of political control all the more difficult. This concise history covers, in very readable fashion, the formative events in Italy's past from the rise of Rome, through a unified country in thrall to fascism in the first half of the twentieth century right up to today. The birthplace of the Renaissance and the place where the Baroque was born, Italy has always been a hotbed of culture. Within modern Italy country there is fierce regional pride in the cultures and identities that mark out Tuscany, Rome, Sicily and Venice to name just a few of Italy's many famous regions. Jeremy Black draws on the diaries, memoirs and letters of historic travellers to Italy to gain insight into the passions of its people, first chronologically then regionally. In telling Italy's story, Black examines what it is that has given Italians such cultural clout - from food and drink, music and fashion, to art and architecture - and explores the causes and effects of political events, and the divisions that still exist today.

Author: Charles L. Killinger
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 0313011230
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
What is Italy? In 1814 Austrian Chancellor M. de Metternich dismissed it as a mere geographical expression, because political control of the peninsula had long been divided among self-governing cities, possessions of foreign dynasties, and the Vatican. Prior to that, Italy had formed the home base of the Roman Empire. It was not until 1861 that a united Italy emerged. This concise, and clearly written account explores Italian history and culture from the Etruscans to the present day. Starting with an introduction providing data on Italy's geography, people, and current government, the book examines the political and cultural history of the country in eleven chapters. Readers will discover the Romans, Lombards, popes, Guelphs, Ghibbellines, the Medici, the Risorgimento, sculptors, composers, Fascists, Christian Democrats, and many other people and events of Italy's rich history. Included are a biographical section with portraits of noteworthy Italians, an extensive bibliographical essay, a glossary of terms, and an index, making this book the most complete and up-to-date general history of the nation available.

Author: Harry Hearder
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521000727
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 310

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Book Description
Presents a clear, concise account of Italian history from the Ice Age to the present.

Author: Livy
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0141913118
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 270

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Book Description
Books VI-X of Livy's monumental work trace Rome's fortunes from its near collapse after defeat by the Gauls in 386 bc to its emergence, in a matter of decades, as the premier power in Italy, having conquered the city-state of Samnium in 293 bc. In this fascinating history, events are described not simply in terms of partisan politics, but through colourful portraits that bring the strengths, weaknesses and motives of leading figures such as the noble statesman Camillus and the corrupt Manlius vividly to life. While Rome's greatest chronicler intended his history to be a memorial to former glory, he also had more didactic aims - hoping that readers of his account could learn from the past ills and virtues of the city.

Author: Stuart Woolf
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000602885
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 483

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Book Description
First Published in 1979, A History of Italy 1700-1860 provides a comprehensive overview of Italy’s political history from 1700-1860. Divided in five parts it deals with themes like the re-emergence of Italy; Italy as the ‘pawn’ of European diplomacy; social physiognomy of the Italian states; problems of the government; enlightenment and despotism (1760-90); the offensive against the Church; revolution and moderation (1789-1814); revolution and the break with the past; rationalization and social conservatism; the search for independence (1815-47); legitimacy and conspiracy; alternative paths towards a new Italy; and the cost of independence (1848-61). It fills a major gap and presents a thoughtful and well-integrated political narrative of this complex period in Italy’s development. This book is an essential read for students and scholars of Italian history and European history.

Author: David Gilmour
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN: 1466801549
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 668

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Book Description
One of The Economist's Books of the Year A provocative, entertaining account of Italy's diverse riches, its hopes and dreams, its past and present Did Garibaldi do Italy a disservice when he helped its disparate parts achieve unity? Was the goal of political unification a mistake? The question is asked and answered in a number of ways in The Pursuit of Italy, an engaging, original consideration of the many histories that contribute to the brilliance—and weakness—of Italy today. David Gilmour's wonderfully readable exploration of Italian life over the centuries is filled with provocative anecdotes as well as personal observations, and is peopled by the great figures of the Italian past—from Cicero and Virgil to the controversial politicians of the twentieth century. His wise account of the Risorgimento debunks the nationalistic myths that surround it, though he paints a sympathetic portrait of Giuseppe Verdi, a beloved hero of the era. Gilmour shows that the glory of Italy has always lain in its regions, with their distinctive art, civic cultures, identities, and cuisines. Italy's inhabitants identified themselves not as Italians but as Tuscans and Venetians, Sicilians and Lombards, Neapolitans and Genoese. Italy's strength and culture still come from its regions rather than from its misconceived, mishandled notion of a unified nation.

Author: Claudia Baldoli
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1137013664
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
Until the beginning of the 18th century, to be 'Italian' meant to identify with a number of collective memories, rather than a national memory. Yet there are elements of continuity that have shaped Italian identity over the past 1,500 years. Religion, food, art and architecture, a literary language, as well as a particular relationship between cities and countryside, between family and civil society have all contributed to present day Italian culture and politics. Baldoli explores the history of Italy as a country, rather than as a nation, in order to trace its fascinating cultural and political development. Offering a way into each period of Italian history, the book brings Italy's past to life with extracts from poetry, novels and music. Drawing on the latest research published in English and Italian, this is the ideal introduction for all those interested in Italy's cultural and social past and its significance for the country's present.

Author: Christopher Duggan
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9780618353675
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 716

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Book Description
The first English language book to cover the full scope of modern Italy, from its official birth to today, "The Force of Destiny" is a brilliant and comprehensive study and a frightening example of how easily nation-building and nationalism can slip toward authoritarianism and war.

Author: Tommaso Astarita
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 9780393058642
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 360

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Book Description
The history of southern Italy is entirely distinct from that of northern Italy (the two regions were distinct cultural and political entities until 1868), but it has never been given its own historical due. The myriad influences that shaped modern civilisation in the Mediterranean come together in southern Italy and Sicily - the region once known as the 'Kingdom of the Two Sicilies'. What the rest of the world recognises as Italian culture - from opera to pizza - was born in the South. Yet negative images of its poverty, violence, superstition and nearness to Africa fuelled stereotypes of what was and was not acceptably 'European'. From the Normans and Angevins through Spanish and Bourbon rule to the unification of Italy, historian Tommaso Astarita explores the intellectual, religious, economic and political history of this fascinating region and delivers an accessibly written book that is not just colourful and scholarly but also wholly engrossing.