Writing a history of the sciences in one country over a long period of time has always been an exercise full of pitfalls. The main risk, we know, is essentialization – of a culture, of a social world, of a national style. It is not that these questions are without interest, but conceiving the analytical tools to tackle them properly is arduous. Such a history must also consider the interface, at global and national level, among knowledge production, academic institutions, technical development, industrial activity, military requirements, political culture, and the nature of the public space. And it has to be done in a moment – the last one hundred years – when the autonomy of scientific activity is less obvious than ever, when mobilization for war and economic progress have become the norm, and when criticism of science is on the rise.