La questione meridionale in breve

"An ancient and unresolved problem, that of Southern Italy. In the over 150 years of the unitary state's existence, the Southern question has always been present in the economic, social, and political life of the country, through all political regimes, all forms of government, and all seasons. Its terms have changed many times, even radically. However, the author believes that the history of the South in the unitary state, despite unmet expectations, has been one of the most dynamic and positive in the Mediterranean area, and certainly better than it would have been if it had continued to unfold in the isolation 'between holy water and saltwater' of Bourbon memory."

Evoked, brandished, claimed, vilified... adjectives abound for the most discussed and unresolved issue of our contemporary history, the quintessential issue: the Southern question; that is, the economic, social, anthropological, and political problem that corresponds to one of the main manifestations of the incompleteness of united Italy. What is proposed here, in a limited number of pages, is an essential yet complete synthesis of its main stages. Starting from a survey of the pre-unitary origins of the North-South differences, the book reconstructs the evolution of the conditions of the South and the role it played in the economic and social development of the country. In light of the extensive bibliography accumulated on the topic, some fundamental phases are identified. A first phase, from 1861 to 1887, in which the economic condition of the South improves and does not lose ground compared to the North; indeed, the South is a driving force of the country's capitalist development, followed by a second phase, from 1887 to the end of World War II, in which, although the situation in the South improves significantly, its economy remains predominantly agricultural, while in the North a widespread and superior industrialization begins: dualism assumes unprecedented dimensions, both in terms of GDP and productive configuration. From the 1950s to the mid-1970s, the turning point: thanks also to extraordinary intervention, for the first time there is a diversion of resources from North to South that until 1973 produces a partial recovery in terms of productive structure, GDP, and consumption; from a rural society, the South transforms into a tertiary society. This is a crucial period in which, according to the author, the State has all the cards to win the game of effective unification; but it does not, choosing not to decisively address the 'question' and to follow another path, which has led us to the current phase, in which the international crisis involves the South more significantly than both Italy and Europe: the gap returns to the dimensions of the early 1950s. The South becomes a factor of slowdown, if not blockage, of the entire national economy and beyond: it is no longer an Italian issue, but a European one. Yet there are recent signs of economic awakening, and Italy has the tools and energy to consolidate them: it will be essential to learn from the past and, in perspective, to resume and confidently carry forward the path of convergence that was abruptly interrupted.