The Force of Destiny

A vivid and highly readable history of Italy from the early nineteenth century, when the movement for national unification began, to the present

The greatness of Italy's culture and way of life have had a powerful attraction for many generations of visitors. This book while sharing everyone's enthusiasm for Italy as a place, distinguishes this from its political role over the past two centuries, which has been both vicious and ruinous for Europe as a whole.The greatness of Italy's culture and way of life have had a powerful attraction for many generations of visitors. This has created an overwhelming sense that Italy is a fundamentally benign and easy going country. The Force of Destiny, Christopher Duggan's immensely enjoyable new book, lays waste to this idea. While sharing everyone's enthusiasm for Italy as a place, he strongly distinguishes this from its political role over the past two centuries, which has been both vicious and ruinous for Europe as a whole.