History of Modern Italy
Course Info:
- Department: Liberal Arts
- Area: History
- Credit Hours: 3, Contact Hours: 45
- Course Number (SRISA): HIST 4301
- Course Number (Maryville University): HIST 343
- Prerequisite: No prerequisite is required for this class, it is recommended for students who want to explore in depth Italian History.
Course Description:
This course will study the history of Modern Italy from the Risorgimento and continue on through the development and decline of the liberal Italian state, Mussolini and Italian Fascism, World War II and post-World War II Italy, up through recent historical events.
Introduction to major literary, cinematographic, and artistic movements are covered as well as social aspects of Italian life including topics such as the Italian political system, the development of the Italian educational system, the roots and influence of the Italian Mafia, and the changing role of the woman in Italian society.
This course introduces students to the history and politics of modern Italy from the time of its political Risorgimento (unification) to the present. The major topics covered throughout the course include the process of political unification in the mid-late 1800s, the birth and growth of Fascism in Italy (1922-1943), the Second World War (1940-45), the workings of governing institutions in the post-war period (1946-48), the role of the Church, political parties and movements, the process of massive industrialization (1950-60’s), political terrorist events (1960-80’s) as well as political corruption and political conspiracy.
There will also be an in-depth analysis of the political crisis and transformation of the Italian democratic system in the early 1990s.
The course is particularly recommended for those students that want to gain an in-depth knowledge of the contemporary social and political history of Italy.