Two Sick Men of Europe?

At first glance, there could be few countries more diverse than Britain and Italy: one the cradle of democracy, a model for most other parliamentary systems; the other a young nation and the essence of political instability. Yet despite the differences, from the mid 1970s London and Rome shared a common destiny of struggle against the crisis which eventually led them to a new "e;renaissance"e; by the early 1980s. Drawing on a wide range of sources, this volume fills an important historiographical gap, casting new light on the unexplored relations between Britain and Italy during the Cold War.The "e;Italian case"e; concerned all the major Western powers: Italy was generally perceived as the great "e;sick man of Europe"e;, and her very democratic solidity appeared to be challenged, while also seemingly threatening the stability of the continent and the East-West balance of power. Yet there was another "e;sick man"e; in the Old Continent: in those years, Britain was to face a severe economic and monetary crisis which weakened her international stance and forced her to play the double role of "e;doctor"e; of the Italian disease while being a "e;patient"e; herself. It is a tale of two crises, and two ways out of them.