Italy from late 1700's to 2016. Nice concise account of unification and the formation of the Italian State. You get a sense of who the people are whose names are on so many streets in Italian towns. (Basically, important figures in the struggle for unification.)
Yet another example of a state that can't seem to escape its historical political culture. So many conflicting interests - regional competition; state vs. church; competition for dominance within a specific region; district or town; winner take all approach with accompanying corruption and crime; corrupt elites in all areas of leadership who mainly look out for themselves. Been like this for 1000 years, and no one can seem to change it. Politicians serious about change are always chased out in the end. The wealthy and powerful elite doesn't seem to have modified their greed and grasping ways since the heyday of 19th century capitalism.
One thing that leaves me angry is how the current populist parties like the Northern League, etc. can dare to suggest that Italy's problems are the result of immigration! In fact, they are self-created and self-perpetuated, and have been decades, centuries even, in the making.
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