Effie G.H. Pedaliu analyzes the British Labour government's contribution to the postwar reconstruction of Italy. The book focuses on five areas: the punishment of war criminality; the reconstruction of the Italian armed forces; the Italian elections of April 1948 and Italy's institutional role in western security arrangements and on European integrative bodies. It reveals that British policy towards Italy was underpinned not only by power politics but also by moral and ideological considerations.
"Effie Pedaliu's new book does just this, and more, and is therefore to be heartily welcomed as a significant contribution to our understanding of this subject. ... The nature of the Anglo-American and Italian achievement in this regard has been ably analysed and highlighted in this book, which is a very welcome addition to our knowledge of the origins of the Cold War in Europe." (Saul Kelly, Diplomacy Statecraft, June, 2017)
"It is a very thoroughly researched monograph. The author has meticulously covered the government archives, researching the papers of several different departments in depth. ... An invaluable bibliography also draws together an impressive range of materials written in both English and Italian. In covering all this material, Pedaliu has performed a valuable service and this study deserves to become one of the standard works on this surprisingly neglected period in British foreign policy." (Richard Grayson, H-Net Reviews, h-net.org, August, 2005)
'Overall, this is a highly recommendable book. Far from being relevant solely to scholars interested in Italian history, it also offers interesting insights on the Attleegovernment's foreign policy and on the reconfiguration of Ango-American relations within the context of the Cold War.' - Ilaria Favretto, European History Quarterly
"It is a very thoroughly researched monograph. The author has meticulously covered the government archives, researching the papers of several different departments in depth. ... An invaluable bibliography also draws together an impressive range of materials written in both English and Italian. In covering all this material, Pedaliu has performed a valuable service and this study deserves to become one of the standard works on this surprisingly neglected period in British foreign policy." (Richard Grayson, H-Net Reviews, h-net.org, August, 2005)
'Overall, this is a highly recommendable book. Far from being relevant solely to scholars interested in Italian history, it also offers interesting insights on the Attleegovernment's foreign policy and on the reconfiguration of Ango-American relations within the context of the Cold War.' - Ilaria Favretto, European History Quarterly