Adrian Lyttelton

"The period from 1900 to 1945 was one of the most dramatic in Italian history, embracing two world wars, the crisis of the liberal state, and the emergence of the Mussolini dictatorship. It was also the period in which Italian economy and society entered that process of transformation which led to the modern, industrialized Italy of today. Italian writers and artists responded creatively to this process of change, and the contribution to European culture of such figures as Croce, Gramsci, D'Annunzio, Pirandello, De Chirico, and the Futurists was one of primary importance." "This volume discusses these developments in depth, paying particular attention to the social and moral conflicts resulting from modernization, war, and the impact of the totalitarian experiment of Fascism. The interaction between foreign and domestic policy is also explored, and the final chapters consider three strands of cultural life: the visual arts, literature, and social thought."--BOOK JACKET.