Una rivoluzione al microscopio

The review analyses the volume by Piero Brunello dedicated to the 1848 revolution in Venice. The book is a successful example of a micro-history of a revolutionary event. Through a meticulous archival and documentary investigation, the A. reconstructs the events of the revolution, focusing on the leaders of the patriotic movement and on those popular subjects who represent the engine of revolutionary action. In the second part, the A. shows how nationalism, which provides the repertoire of action and the keywords to transform a rebellion into a revolution, becomes the decisive element in defining the identity of its inhabitants and their relations after the revolution, in three fields (police, relations with foreigners and gender identities). [Publisher's text].