History of School Reforms in Italy: From Widespread Illiteracy to National Education (1861–1918)

The aim of this article is to trace the history of schooling in a young state such as Italy (which was unified only as late as 1861) by describing, in chronological order, the various legisla-tive acts and reforms. The paper highlights the spread of primary public school system focusing in particular on some themes: the rise of education, the key role of male and female teachers, the issue of compulsory schooling, the advent of positivist pedagogy, the schooling as an essential task for the promoting of patriotism