Suchergebnisse

A review symposium on a book by Richard J. Samuels, Machiavelli's Children. Leaders and Their Legacies in Italy and Japan (Ithaca & London: Cornell U Press, 2003), with contributions from Michele Salvati, Mauro Calise, & Leonardo Morlina & a reply by author Samuels. The book offers a detailed comparison between Italy & Japan from the Union of Italy & the Meiji Restoration to present days. One hundred fifty years of parallel history reveal that the two countries had similar nation- & state-building experiences. In the 19th Century both countries were forced to fill the economical gap separating them from more developed countries. They also struggled to maintain the general consensus during times of intense structural development that required strenuous sacrifices from their population. In both cases such consensus was never achieved through real democratic participation, until their defeat in WWII. The comparison also shows the deep differences between the pre-fascist, liberal Italian state & the Japanese totalitarian regime. However, after WWII, similarities increase again, especially after the American occupation & its commitment to export democracy. M. Williamson