The eternal North / South controversy of Italy
The eternal North / South Italy controversy it was back in vogue a few weeks ago, as you well know, due to the declarations issued by Vittorio Feltri.
Host of a television program, the famous journalist, not new to certain, so to speak, improper utterances, stated that the southerners are "inferior" than the northerners.
As easily imaginable, a (fair in my opinion) media uproar ensued.
Felt clumsily tried to correct the shot, but the damage was done.
The following article was sent to Pills of history by Maximilian Muek , a boy with a passion for history.
This is a short but articulated and well structured answer to what Feltri said.
Happy reading.
The historic meeting between Garibaldi and Vittorio Emanuele in Teano
Controversy North / South of Italy:let's take a step back ...
“ The southerners are inferior” … Economically.
Whatever the intentions of the director of Libero, were it is fair to ask: "the south is poorer than the north because the southerners are inferior to the inhabitants of northern Italy? ".
Let's take a nice step back in history, to the era of the great national states , so to speak in the seventeenth century.
Italy, from north to south, has always been disputed by the great national powers, it is thought for its geographical position, strategic for trade in the Mediterranean.
The fact is that unlike other nation states, such as France and England, it will not develop independence until 1861, with the unity of Italy.
So while in the other states the industries and trade developed and the bourgeoisie was born, which favored the economy of these same states considerably, in Italy only the land was cultivated.
This happened because the invaders had no interest in advancing the Italian economy, but only aimed at exploiting the territory and the inhabitants.
Before 1861 the gap was not as serious as it will be in the future.
The north, thanks to the communal age and the consequent formation of principalities, had detached itself from the feudal economy, now antiquated throughout Europe.
The south, on the other hand, was still linked to this structure that did not allow the birth of the bourgeoisie, since there was no mobility in the social classes, and therefore remained behind.
After the Unification of Italy
North and South of Italy still divided after more than a century and a half from the Unification
Nel 1861 Italy is born and, consequently, we try to catch up with the rest of Europe.
It is precisely here that what happened with Italy in previous centuries happens.
The north begins to exploit the south to be able to concentrate on industrial advancement, implementing a short-sighted policy, more than anything else aimed at plugging what were the industrial holes in the short term.
With the advent of the twentieth century, the two world wars upset the Italian economy, impoverishing it and producing an even greater gap between north and south.
We must remember that the mafia too it had been developing more and more in the south, taking advantage of the scarce presence of strong institutions, taking away another large slice of the economy.
After the war, several decrees were passed which, however, did not clear up the differences, gradually making this question disappear from political reforms.
So no, it is not the fault of the southerners that the south is poorer.
It all depended on a story that was not favorable to us, but from which we cannot escape ( Article written by: Maximilian Muek ).