Two things: One, I admire the way you condense so much into so few words. It sometimes takes me a moment to absorb the implications and I like that. Here is an example of what I mean:
TheReformer said:
“Here you had a nominally western, modern, industrial state, yet equally a state that like Russia hosted millions of poor, low income peasants relying on their own labour not for a substantial income but for the basic income needed to survive.”
Two, I enjoy learning about people and concepts I was unaware of. Some examples from the Italy chapter: “Errico Malatesta, the ‘Italian Lenin’ “ , “meridionalism - the study of the economic and social challenges of southern Italy” and the heretofore unknown fact to me that D’Annunzio was “a terrible public speaker”.
This compliment also goes for your earlier chapter on France. Both were deep dives into history which had to involve countless hours of research and reading. The wealth of detail on your part is astonishing.
And greatly appreciated. Thank you TheReformer.