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The Force of Destiny Christopher Duggan

The Force of Destiny By Christopher Duggan

The Force of Destiny by Christopher Duggan


£13.00
New RRP £30.00
Condition - Very Good
5 in stock

Summary

The greatness of Italy's culture and way of life have had a powerful attraction for many generations of visitors. This has created an overwhelming sense that Italy is a fundamentally benign and easy going country. The author distinguishes this from its political role, which has been both vicious and ruinous for Europe as a whole.

The Force of Destiny Summary

The Force of Destiny: A History of Italy Since 1796 by Christopher Duggan

The greatness of Italy's culture and way of life have had a powerful attraction for many generations of visitors. This has created an overwhelming sense that Italy is a fundamentally benign and easy going country. The Force of Destiny, Christopher Duggan's immensely enjoyable new book, lays waste to this idea. While sharing everyone's enthusiasm for Italy as a place, he strongly distinguishes this from its political role over the past two centuries, which has been both vicious and ruinous for Europe as a whole.Verdi's great opera The Force of Destiny, one of the key works celebrating Italy's wish for independence, also points to Italy's fundamental problem. Throughout the 19th century Italy struggled to unite under one rule all Italian speakers, throwing aside a multitude of corrupt old rulers and colonial occupiers. Through all these struggles, the politicians of Italy felt impelled by a 'force of destiny' hideously at odds with Italian reality. After immense struggle and with endless sacrifices, a united Italy was at last created which proved to be as impoverished, backward and marginal as it had been before.The resentments this created fed into Italy's overwhelmingly destructive role, as colonial predator, as a faithless and ruinous element in the First World War: these resentments in turn led to the rise of Mussolini who, far more than Hitler, wrecked the European order in the '20s and '30s. It was only the humiliation and disaster of the Second World War that, at last, made Italy into a reasonably 'normal' and constructive country.

About Christopher Duggan

Christopher Duggan is Professor of Italian History at the University of Reading and author of a highly acclaimed biography of Francesco Crispi.

Additional information

GOR004348748
9780713997095
0713997095
The Force of Destiny: A History of Italy Since 1796 by Christopher Duggan
Used - Very Good
Hardback
Penguin Books Ltd
20070830
688
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - The Force of Destiny