HIST 336 Modern Italy: The Struggles and Triumphs of a New Nation State

This course traces the creation and development of the modern Italian nation state from an idea in the early 19th century through its creation in the middle 19th century to its turn to fascism in the 20th century. We will study the challenges faced by Italian politics and society as Italy moved from a  disparate group of separate states toward a unified government and culture. We take an interdisciplinary approach to history and look at films, novels, and art to understand the character of  modern Italian culture society, and politics. Starting in the late 18th century, the course covers themes such as: the character and legacy of Italian unification, the Southern Question, Fascism, the Mafia and postwar parliamentary democracy.