Italy and the Suez Canal, from the Mid-nineteenth Century to the Cold War

Conceived in the 1850s and opened to navigation in 1869, the SuezCanal's construction coincided with Italy's path to unification anditsfirst foray intonineteenth-century globalization. Since then, the history of Italy and theCanalhaveintertwined in many ways,throughoutinpeace and war.This edited collection explores the fundamental technical, diplomatic and financial contributions that Italy made to the production of the Canal and to its subsequent development, from the mid-nineteenth century to the Cold War.Drawing fromunpublished public and private archival sources, this book is the first comprehensive account of this long and multifaceted relationship, providinginnovative perspectives onItaly'sdiplomatic, economic, social, colonial and cultural history. An insightful read for those studying maritime, diplomatic or Italian history, this bookcontributes to a growing body of researchon the Canal, which has largely emerged from international business, labour and social history, and offers new insights into the Euro-Mediterranean region.