Colonialism is built on the rubble of a false idea of ancient Rome | Aeon Essays

Colonialism is built on the rubble of a false idea of ancient Rome | Aeon Essays

At the dawn of the 20th century, Italian patriots were struggling to overcome a profound inferiority complex. Ever since 1861, when Giuseppe Garibaldi unified the country’s disparate regions into a nation-state, politicians and intellectuals had been anticipating the arrival of a glorious new era. Decades on, however, the economic, diplomatic and cultural results were wanting.