Many of Italy's current problems can be traced back to the years 1948-1958, one of the most interesting but least-studied periods of recent Italian history. This was a decade in which the main cultural and political parameters of contemporary Italy were laid down. It was a time of enormous intellectual and artistic vitality, and a period in which the tensions generated by the Cold War affected the country to a greater degree than in any other western nation. This first general survey of the period provides an overview of the political and economic position of Italy during the Cold War as well as an assessment of the affect of the Cold War on intellectual, cultural and artistic life. Distinguished scholars from a range of disciplines present case-histories on subjects as diverse as:- the state's attitude towards the evolution of the family;- the American presence in the Italian economy; and- the place of the Italian film in world cinema. -Italys attitude towards the EEC and its relationship with NATOStudents and specialists who wish to enhance their understanding of Italian current affairs will find this interdisciplinary approach to the period invaluable.

Christopher Duggan is Reader in Italian History and Director of the Centre for the Advanced Study of Italian, University of Reading . Christopher Wagstaff is Senior Lecturer in Italian Studies, University of Reading