Restoration and Risorgimento is an accessible and thought-provoking introduction to the history of Italian Unification. Drawing on the most recent research, this book guides students through the period, examining how the politically fragmented Italian peninsula was transformed into a united state. David Laven also explores Italian cultural and political identity and the extent of opposition and indifference amongst Italians to the process of unification. Unlike most accounts of the Risorgimento this book gives particular emphasis to the ways in which unification proved deeply damaging to the interests of much of Italian society.