Ricerc@Sapienza

The article takes inspiration from a new edition of Ferrero’s book Grandezza e decadenza di
Roma and analyzes this work which was very criticized at the beginning of the 20th century, when
the first edition was published. The article investigates how Ferrero’s book was connected with
the new Italian and international historiographical climate, both in terms of methodology and in its
interpretations of history. In his book, Ferrero traced an original picture of antiquity, in which on

The chapter focuses on the group of intellectuals gathered around the journal Il
Mulino and on their vision of democracy and democratic reformism: a vision
shaped by their diverse cultural backgrounds, their appraisal of Cold War
realities and their belief in the increasing “planetary” dimension of international
relations. As well as their belief in the fundamental role of intellectuals to
inspire political change, the authors explore Il Mulino’s myth of a worldwide
“frontier” of democracy, especially during the years of Kennedy’s presidency.