Claudia Baldoli

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.

A History of Italy

Andrew Knapp

France and Italy account for fully one third of all Allied bombs dropped on Europe between 1940 and 1945. Italy received some 370,000 tons of bombs, nearly five times the total dropped on Britain by the Luftwaffe; France, over 570,000, nearly eight times the British figure. In each country, over 55,000 civilians died. Until now, studies of bombing in World War 2 have focused largely on the British and German experiences; few cover France or Italy. Forgotten Blitzes aims to remedy this. It explains the reasons for the Allied offensives, and uses political, social and cultural approaches to explore the challenges faced by states and peoples as the bombs fell. Massive research in local and national archives across four countries, complemented by diaries and personal memoirs, has allowed the authors to build a detailed, comparative picture of the impact of bombing on states, local authorities and individuals.

France and Italy under Allied Air Attack, 1940-1945

Forgotten Blitzes

France and Italy Under Allied Air Attack, 1940-1945

Richard Overy

This is the first book to treat bombing during WWII as a European phenomenon and not just the 'Blitz' on Britain and Germany. With Western Europe now at the heart of a united continent, it is even more difficult to explain how only 70 years ago European states destroyed much of the urban landscape from the air. There were many blitzes between 1940 and 1945 with an estimated 700,000 people killed. The purpose of this book is to provide the basis for a comparison of the experience of western states under the impact of bombing. In particular, it considers the political, cultural and social responses to bombing rather than the military, strategic and social dimensions which have formed the core of the discussion hitherto. This book will correct the popular perception of the British Blitz as the key bombing experience by exposing the reality of life under the bombs for communities as far apart as Brest, Palermo, and Rostock. An international panel of historians consider the issues raised amidst the bombing of human rights and protection of civilians in this seminal event in C20th history.

Claudia Baldoli

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