The Italian mass emigration between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: economic and social aspects of the Piedmontese case

Abstract

The contribution analyses «The Italian mass emigration between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: economic and social aspects of the Piedmontese case», with attention to the context, the instruments of reading and the implications for policies. A large part of the remittances were in fact “invisible”, that is to say: the savings entrusted to friends and relatives, who repatriated, or to exchange agents and private bankers. Remittances, in addition to improving the living standards of immigrant families, especially of northern regions, increased the aurea currency availability of Italy and allowed the take-off of industrialization. In their seasonal emigration they often arrived in Spain, Germany, even in the Balkans, where their trade was sought after and appreciated, retracing routes already beaten by their fathers. The children emigrated, moreover, to work in the spinning mills in France and Switzerland: they were seasonal and tactile jobs, which mostly took place in Maltese environments, even for 16 hours a day. Don’t forget where we came from, who we were, what we lived, is the only chance to avoid easy speculations and errors in the interpretation of the phenomenon.

Keywords

migration; Italy; remittance; agriculture; Industrial policy; labour market

JEL codes

F22; J61; R23