The century of ideologies, the century of masses, the century of science and technology. And also the century of wars, the American century, the century of women, the century of nonviolence.

It is too early to coin a final definition of the twentieth century, but we can already chronicle its complex events.

The documents of this wide selection –in four volumes- offer to the reader a direct approach to the most significant moments and protagonists of the last century, so that he can easily measure his own interest and verify his own personal stands.

War World I and the Russian Revolution: these are the two central events dominating this volume. Two events that opened the twentieth century and whose consequences had a crucial influence on the following years. The war brought the US solidly on the world scene while the Bolshevik revolution gave birth to the other big protagonist of last century political history. The Italian internal conflicts are also well documented, especially the social turmoils; the upcoming of nationalism and Mussolini’s interventionist shift, that put the country on a risky war path that could have ended with a dramatic defeat before turning into an eventual victory.