Part I: Towards a National Army 1. ‘Italians don't Fight’ 2. ‘Italians do Fight’ The First War of Independence 1848- 9 3. La Marmora’s Reform of the Piedmontese Army 4. Fanti and the Creation of the Italian Army Part II: The Consolidation of the Army 5. II Brigantaggio 6. Venice and Rome 7. The Reforms of Ricotti Magnani 8. The Triple Alliance, the Army and Diplomacy Part III: The Testing of the Army 9. The Army and the Crisis of the Late 1890s 10. The Army in Giolittian Italy 11. The Libyan War 12. Non-Intervention 13. War Bibliography Index
Biography
John Whittam
“Since there are no studies in English on the Italian army, this is a useful survey because it gathers scattered bits of information into one volume. John Wittham’s thesis is that the army played an important, sometimes preponderant, role in the history of Italy between 1861 and 1918. In order to support this contention, he stresses the use of the army to tame the South and Sicily in the 1860s and in the 1890s. He also concentrates on the reforms of Generals LaMarmora and Fanti, both of whom collaborated with conservative politicians to oppose Garibaldi’s concept of the nation-in-arms and to create a trustworthy professional army.”
- Charles L. Bertrand, The American Historical Review, Volume 83, Issue 1, February 1978, Page 206.
