La resistenza come secondo risorgimento – un topos retorico senza fine?

The article analyses the use of the rhetorical topos of the Resistance movement as a Second Risorgimento. Focussing on historiography, culture and political discourse from 1945 to the present day, the article demonstrates and seeks to explain the remarkable longevity of this notion. With the 150th anniversary of Italian unification in 2011, the article shows how the topos has enjoyed a 'resurgence' which risks obscuring the historical significance of both these key periods of Italian history.