Author:
Wilcox, Vanda, 1979- author.
Edition Statement:First edition.
ImprintOxford, United Kingdom ; New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2021.
Descriptionxviii, 269 pages : color maps ; 24 cm.
Note:Introduction -- Imperialism and irredentism in liberal Italy -- From neutrality to intervention, 1914-15 -- Italians on the battlefield -- Societies at war -- War in the Italian colonies -- The war beyond Italy -- Race, nationality, and citizenship -- The Paris Peace Conference and beyond -- Post-war settlements in the Adriatic and the Balkans -- Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean after the war -- Conclusion.
Bibliography Note:Includes bibliographical references (pages 245-264) and index.
Note:The Italian Empire and the Great War brings an imperial and colonial perspective to the Italian experience of the First World War. Italy's decision for war in 1915 built on its imperial ambitions from the late 19th century onwards and its conquest of Libya in 1911-12. The Italian empire was conceived both in conventional terms as a system of settlement or exploitation colonies under Italian sovereignty, and as an informal global empire of emigrants; both were mobilized in support of the war in 1915-18. The war was designed to bring about 'a greater Italy' both literally and metaphorically. In pursuit of global status, Italy endeavoured to fight a global war, sending troops to the Balkans, Russia, and the Middle East, though with limited results. Italy's newest colony, Libya, was also a theatre of the Italian war effort, as the anti-colonial resistance there linked up with the Ottoman Empire, Germany, and Austria to undermine Italian rule. Italian race theories underpinned this expansionism: the book examines how Italian constructions of whiteness and racial superiority informed a colonial approach to military occupation in Europe as well as the conduct of its campaigns in Africa.
