The dissertations written on the occasion of the «famous» contest announced in September 1796 by the General Administration of Lombardy, to respond to the question of which form of government best suited Italy, represent privileged sources through which to enter the problematic horizon opened by the political usages that relate the Italian democratic universe to the past. In the context of a functional recovery aimed at different political visions, the essay focuses on specific thematic nodes, starting from the relationship with Roman antiquity, understood as a fundamental piece of Italian history, often evoked in an attempt to set up a national discourse aimed at making clear an otherness with respect to France in the Peninsula's path towards democracy. The image of France - the first State in history that seemed able to deviate from the policies of conquest of the past - then appears worthy of attention, intertwining with one of the most important questions raised by the contest: the choice between unity and federalism, accompanied by arguments that also follow backward paths.
Memorie dal sottosuolo. Passato e «felicità dell'Italia» nelle dissertazioni del «celebre» concorso del 1796 / Donati, Beatrice. - In: STUDI STORICI. - ISSN 0039-3037. - (2024), pp. 773-786.
Memorie dal sottosuolo. Passato e «felicità dell'Italia» nelle dissertazioni del «celebre» concorso del 1796
Beatrice Donati
2024
Abstract
The dissertations written on the occasion of the «famous» contest announced in September 1796 by the General Administration of Lombardy, to respond to the question of which form of government best suited Italy, represent privileged sources through which to enter the problematic horizon opened by the political usages that relate the Italian democratic universe to the past. In the context of a functional recovery aimed at different political visions, the essay focuses on specific thematic nodes, starting from the relationship with Roman antiquity, understood as a fundamental piece of Italian history, often evoked in an attempt to set up a national discourse aimed at making clear an otherness with respect to France in the Peninsula's path towards democracy. The image of France - the first State in history that seemed able to deviate from the policies of conquest of the past - then appears worthy of attention, intertwining with one of the most important questions raised by the contest: the choice between unity and federalism, accompanied by arguments that also follow backward paths.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.