Since its creation in 1861, Italy has struggled to develop an effective
political system and a secure sense of national identity. This concise
history covers the period from the fall of the Roman Empire in the west
to the present day, but focuses on the difficulties Italy has faced in
forging a nation state during the past two centuries. The opening
chapters consider the geographical and cultural obstacles to unity, and
survey the long centuries of political fragmentation in the peninsula
since the sixth century. It was this legacy of fragmentation that
Italy's new rulers had to strive to overcome when the country became
united, more by accident than design, in 1859-61.