| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 106.5

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| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 106.5 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

Europe: Early Modern and Modern

Sandro Rogari, editor. La confagricoltura nella storia d'Italia: Dalle origini dell'associazionismo agricolo nazionale ad oggi. Bologna: Mulino. 1999. Pp. 1013. L. 150,000.

Sandro Rogari and his academic colleagues have, in this giant tome (984 pages of text), written the definitive history of the general confederation of Italian farmers (Confagricoltura), the organization that has represented, since its inception in 1884, the interests of Italian landowners. Although there are some striking gaps in the book—for example, we learn relatively little about the position of the organization and its members on the battaglia del grano or bonifica integrale—the gaps result from insufficient information, not an absence of mind. The authors have, in short, produced a comprehensive, detailed, thorough, and—mercifully, given its length—well written, often engrossing, historical account of Confagricoltura. It is not for everyone. Readers lacking a fairly intimate knowledge of contemporary Italian economic and social history will find parts of the book obscure. Those with an adequate background will, however, welcome this massive addition to the history of Italian farming. Agriculture, after all, has played a central role in Italy's economy for much of the period since unification, and the contributors do a splendid job in weaving the history of Confagricoltura into the fabric of the country's economic and political development. Every major issue that has affected the nation's economy over the last one hundred and twenty years has also touched on the interests of Italian farmers. Thanks to Rogari and his colleagues, we now have a comprehensive guide to the position of landowners on most of them. . . .

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