More than a hundred years of history separate us from 1900 and if we look back on the past century, so dense with events that were often tragic and distressing, the close symbiosis between the story of the nation and the life of the Armed Forces, called upon to perform their role in the most delicate moments. Come to the force. A "brief century", the one that has just come to a close and in which the first fifteen years - up to World War I - are indissolubly tied to the way of life and thought of the preceding century and in which the last eleven years - from the fall of the Berlin wall until 2000 - are part of the new epoch of globalization. This book, which examines 100 years of the military history of Italy, give us rare and precious images of the Italian Armed Forces beginning with the early 1900s: young men wearing uniforms which look strange to modern eyes, the glorious protagonists of an era in which the young Kingdom of Italy - emerging from the Risorgimento - was affirming itself in all the world events. The Army in many ways, personified the peasant and illiterate Italy of that time, newly unified, with all its social stratifications and regional differences, more decided and much graver than today, but determined to set out the road to social and industrial transformation. The deeds and enormous sacrifices of our soldiers and sailors, the exploits of the first aviations, have left an indelible mark on the collective memory and have been the object of memorable pages of literature dear to the hearts of all Italians. The second half of the century that has just come to an end belongs to the Republic. The democratic Constitution stresses the fact that the Homeland is the sacred duty of the citizens, and affirms that Italy repudiates war as an instrument of offence to the liberty of the other peoples and as a means of resolution of international controversies. The constitutional function of the Armed Forces, whose regulations must themselves adapt to the democratic spirit of the Republic, is recognized. ILLUSTRATIONS: 220 colour *
