Can Elites Make a Difference? The Building Up of Prerequisites for Modernisation in Lombardy and Venetia (1814-66)

• Autores: Chiara Natalie Focacci
• Localización: Journal of European Economic History, ISSN 0391-5115, Vol. 48, Nº. 3, 2019, págs. 9-43
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The long-term socio-economic divergence between Venetia and Lombardy after the Restoration period (1814-66) is generally attributed to their Habsburg rulers, but alternative explanations are also possible. Drawing inspiration from Macry’s idea of 19th-century transformations revolving around elites, in analysing primary sources from Italian archives we reveal the existence of two very different privileged groups in Lombardy and Venetia. Albeit within the same framework of Habsburg rule, the two elites encouraged technical culture and change in quite distinct ways. Section 1 introduces the centrality of elites within the Lombard-Venetian Kingdom, transcending the negative bias against Venetia. Sections 2 and 3 provide practical examples of the divergence between the Lombard and Venetian elites concerning the main economic activities of the time, namely agriculture and the silk industry. Sections 4-6 offer possible explanations for the existence of two types of elite within the same Kingdom. Section 7 concludes