A History of Contemporary Italy - 1943-80 (Paperback)

In 1943 Italy was war-torn and poverty-stricken, a country that was regional and predominantly agrarian. Since then Italy has undergone the most profound transformation - economic, social and demographic - in its entire history.

Yet the other recurrent theme of the period has been the overwhelming need for political reform - and the repeated failure to achieve it. A spectacular example of this has been the recent great crisis of 1992-1994, which led to the election of Signor Berlusconi, and is discussed in a new chapter for this edition. Professor Ginsborg's authoritative work combines social and political perpectives to create a brilliant synthesis.