This work investigates how cultural production and intellectual discourse shaped the political identity of the Italian state between the Risorgimento and the rise of Mussolini. Axel Körner, a scholar of modern European history, utilizes a wide array of archival sources and contemporary political writings to examine the intersection of art, literature, and statecraft. He argues that the development of a national culture was not merely a byproduct of political unification but a primary instrument used by the liberal elite to consolidate power and define the boundaries of citizenship.

Historians recognize this text as a significant contribution to the study of nineteenth-century European state-building. Scholars frequently cite the book for its nuanced approach to the relationship between high culture and political legitimacy in the Italian context.