13724 - History of Contemporary Italy (1)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will have a general knowledge of Italian contemporary history and the main interpretations of it. They will be able to transmit the knowledge acquired, adopting the appropriate vocabulary and being versed in the historiographical debate. They will be familiar with the methodologies used by the research on social classes, and will understand basic mass culture and consumption phenomena. They will be aware how sources and choice of methodology bear on the ultimate result. They will have acquired self-criticism and an ability to learn from mingling with others; they will also know how to choose the learning tools best suited to their own skills and purposes.

Course contents

Italy from the First to the Second Republic
The course aims to address the main political, economic and social junctures that represented the framework within which the democratic political system was reconstituted in Italy in the aftermath of the Second World War. The institutional as well as the economic and social framework will be examined, always keeping the international context as a reference perspective. The various moments that have marked the history of the Italian peninsula since the Second World War will be examined in depth: from reconstruction to the economic boom; from the years of revolts and movements to the crisis of the First Republic and of that party system that had contributed to rewriting the democratic political framework. Finally, attention will be focused on the different generations of men and women who were protagonists of that history.

Readings/Bibliography

Attending Students

Students must prepare:

Guido Crainz, Storia della Repubblica. L’Italia dalla Liberazione ad oggi, Roma, Donzelli, 2016

+a book from Group A

+a book from Group B

+ ppt lessons.

Non-Attending Studends:

Students must prepare:

Guido Crainz, Storia della Repubblica. L’Italia dalla Liberazione ad oggi, Roma, Donzelli, 2016

Guido Crainz, Il paese mancato. Dal miracolo economico agli anni Ottanta, Roma, Donzelli, 2003.

+ a book from Group A

+ ua book from Group B

Group A

Claudio Pavone, Una guerra civile. Saggio storico sulla moralità della Resistenza, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, 1991.

Pietro Scoppola, La repubblica dei partiti. Evoluzione e crisi di un sistema politico 1945-1996, Bologna, il Mulino, 1991.

Giovanni Orsina, Il berlusconismo nella storia d’Italia, Milano, Feltrinelli, 2023.

Group B

Emanuele Felice, Ascesa e declino. Storia economica d’Italia, Bologna, il Mulino, 2018.

Chiara Giorgi, Ilaria Pavan, Storia dello Stato sociale in Italia, Bologna, il Mulino, 2021.

Storia delle donne nell’Italia contemporanea, a cura di Silvia Salvatici, Roma, Carocci, 2022.

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons.

Assessment methods

The examination is oral and consists of discussing the texts and ascertaining the knowledge required for the course syllabus.
To achieve top marks in the assessment, the student must demonstrate an organic view of the topics addressed in the lectures and in the texts in the examination programme and show a good command of expression and specific language.

A student who attends at least 75% of the lectures is considered to be “attending".

Teaching tools

ppt presentations and documents.

Office hours

See the website of Elena Musiani