Federico Chabod (1901-1960) was one of Italy's best-known historians, noted for his study of Italian history in a European context. This is a translation of his most important book, publication of the original being delayed by the fall of fascism and Chabod's active participation in the Italian Resistance. Chabod intended to write a new kind of diplomatic history - one in which political history is seen as part of a larger historical whole. He does not present a detailed chronological account of Italian foreign policy during the period studied, but rather the "moral and material" underpinnings of that policy. He presents a portrait of an age, with the real subjects being the Italian state and society, the ruling class, and political culture.