Percorsi di storia tra rivoluzione e modernizzazione (XVI-XIX secolo)

The course of the modern era was marked by moments of revolution and processes of modernization that affected every aspect of society, from politics and the economy to culture and military affairs. This remarkable variety of phenomena stands out for its geographical and chronological breadth, transcending the rigid boundaries often imposed by historians and political scientists. These transformations included not only violent upheavals, exemplified by the French Revolution and the European revolutions of 1848, but also those gradual processes which, without recourse to violence, steered society toward forms of technological development that would become indispensable. Drawing on new archival research that has brought previously unpublished documents to light and placing them in dialogue with recent historiographical developments, this volume presents a series of case studies illustrating the diversity of motivations, objectives, and consequences associated with revolutions and processes of modernization. These contributions offer valuable insights into the innovations, challenges, contradictions, and continuities that emerged within moments of historical change. In tracing this broad trajectory, the essays demonstrate the vitality of current scholarship on the themes and events that shaped the modern age.