HIST 350 – History and Politics of Modern Italy: The Twentieth Century

Formerly HIST/POLSC 430 – History and Politics of Modern Italy: The Twentieth Century

Description
How to make democracy work in a country that at the beginning of the 20th century was the first to create a new, ultra-nationalist, authoritarian type of government, i.e. Fascism?
This course has been designed to review and examine the Modern Political History of Italy from the First World War to the end of the 20th century. After a short overview of the longer Italian History, the main areas of focus will be: the Rise and Fall of Italian Fascism, the Second World War and the Cold War, the Workings of Governing Institutions in the Post-War Period (there will be detailed discussion of the New Constitution and of the Creation of a Democratic, Political System, the Role of the Church, of Political Parties and Movements, the European Unification Process, Black and Red Terrorism, as well as Political Corruption and Political Conspiracy). There will also be a detailed discussion of the Crises and Transformation of the Post-War Italian Political System in the early 1990s.

Learning outcomes
On completion of this course, students will be able to:
– Know Italy’s modern political history in a European and world history context.
– Evaluate the complexity of Italian politics with some degree of sophistication.
– Know the “facts” of modern Italian political history and also understand the dynamics involved.
– Assess the significance of the American involvement in modern Italian political history.
– Compare their understanding of Italian politics with their understanding of politics in the United States.
– Evaluate the importance of political diversity for international relations and communications.

Course descriptions may be subject to occasional minor modifications at the discretion of the instructor.

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