リソルジメントと呼ばれる19世紀のイタリア統一運動以降の現代史を俯瞰します。小国を統一して王国を樹立し、工業化や植民地帝国の獲得を経て第一次世界大戦では勝利したイタリア。しかし経済危機・社会的混乱期に突入します。枢軸国として参加した第二次世界大戦は軍事的敗北、経済的破壊、内戦に終わりました。君主制を撤廃し民主主義を回復してからは、軍事・文化・外交で大きな役割を果たす地域大国となったこの国のアイデンティティを探ります。
   

• Covers the history of Italy from the Risorgimento (Resurgence), the movement leading to Italian Unification in 1861, to the present
• Addresses the question of whether modern Italy is a modern country, and explores the extent to which modernity still represents a shared vision among Italian intellectuals, political leaders, and ordinary people
• Contemplates themes of identity and asks what Modern Italy stands for by looking at the different cultural and political projects of modernity which have unfolded in Italy since the Risorgimento

 
The history of modern Italy is characterized by recurrent cultural and political projects of modernity, rejuvenation, and regeneration; projects which often had their roots in a widespread dissatisfaction with social and political reality, and perceived moral corruption. The Risorgimento, the movement leading to Italian Unification in 1861, explicitly linked the quest for national unity to a process of moral regeneration and progress. Later forms of nationalism and the rise of fascism in the first two decades of the twentieth century advocated a spiritual revolution and the moulding of new Italians through war and violence. The tragic outcome of Italian fascism led to the emergence of new visions of progress during the post-war First Republic, in which European integration was embraced with conviction. In the last 25 years a project of of modernization epitomized by Silvio Berlusconi has characterized Italian politics, invoking a mixture of nationalist themes and an uncritical embracing of consumer and media culture. 

In this Very Short Introduction Anna Cento Bull addresses the question of what modernity means to Italy, and asks what modern Italy stands for. She considers Italy's political system and style of government, and looks at its economic modernisation and issues with emigration, internal migration and immigration. Bull concludes by looking at the Italian culture and lifestyle, including modern art and architecture, cinema, literature, gastronomy, fashion and sport.