My original interest in this project arose from the somewhat simplistic conviction that some combination of American money, power, and idealism was responsible for the course of events in Italy during the years 1945–8. Indeed, my study of the period has confirmed that, understood as military occupation and financial support, the American presence affected in a profound if immeasurable way the options and opportunities of the local forces competing to determine the political and economic identity of the new Italy. Those years also witnessed the consolidation of a bargain between the United States and a pro-Western center-right alliance. Subsequent life under the American umbrella has meant, to paraphrase Croce, a sort of parentheses from history, unimagined material well-being along with a respite from the trials and rigors of national independence. For the United States, the relationship has meant a faithful and compliant ally, providing control of the central Mediterranean.

The prospect that these happy arrangements may not last forever has in the past several years begun to provoke both anxiety and signs of independence among the pro-American political elites. Faced with a less predictable America and an uncertain international climate, some Italians have begun to ask themselves whether the declining benefits of continued passivity are worth the sacrifice of greater dignity and self-reliance. Perhaps both Italians and Americans would now do well to look again at the origins and consequences of their postwar special relationship.