Let’s say it right away: the theory according to which the Noon was invaded and plundered by the Northern regions led by the Savoy dynasty it has no historical basis. When the unification of Italy was achieved, the South was already in late condition compared to the Centre-North, both in political-social and economic terms. The absolutism of the Bourbonwho governed the South, was anachronistic and was not in step with the most advanced political systems in Europe; on the economic level, although there was no lack of developed areas and industries, the general conditions of the South were worse than those of the Center-North. Furthermore, the entry of the South into the Kingdom of Italy did not occur through an invasion from outside, but through a military operation, initially called Expedition of the Thousandin which they took part especially southern citizensThe union of the South with the Kingdom of Italy was not free from problems and constraints, which at the time also caused disadvantages for the Southerners, but it constituted a progress of enormous importance.
The political and social situation of the South before the Unification
At the time of the unification of Italy, the South was almost entirely included in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Only the city of Benevento was not part of it, being a exclave of the Papal State.
The political system of the Kingdom, governed by the Bourbon dynastywas one of the most retrograde in Western Europe. In the rest of the continent the principles of liberalism were spreading and other Italian states, such as the Kingdom of Sardinia, were governed on the basis of a Statute and guaranteed some Citizens’ rights. The Bourbon monarchy was instead closed in the strictest absolutism: it defended the privileges of the aristocracies and refused to transform itself into a constitutional regime. For this reason, the monarchy alienated the sympathies of the intellectuals and the most advanced exponents of society.
From a social point of view, the conditions of the population were worse than in the rest of Italy. Just think of the illiteracy rate: in the territories of the Kingdom of Sardinia and Lombardy it was 46% among men and 57% among women; in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies it reached 83.5% among men and 93.8% among women.
Economic conditions before the Unification
Even from an economic point of view, the conditions in the South were worse of those of the Central-Northern regions. The delay of the South, in fact, is not a consequence of the Unification, but dates back to many centuries before.
The southern economy was based on theagriculture and in many areas large estates managed with backward systems predominated. There was no lack more developed areas: in Naples, which was the most populated urban center in Italy, there were several large factories; in some areas agriculture was specialized and industrial plants were grown: olives, vines, tobacco, etc. Overall, however, the economy of the South was less developed than that of the Center-North.
The same goes for the infrastructurewhich, on average, in the North were more modern and efficient. Let’s take the case of the railways. The first Italian railway line was the Naples-Porticibuilt in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1839. The line, however, remained almost unique; other pre-unification states, although they had started to build railways some time later, equipped themselves with more extensive and efficient networks. At the time of Unification, the Kingdom of Sardinia had a network of 828 kmthe Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which was much larger, only 128 km. Furthermore, the Naples-Portici had not been built to promote the modernization of the territory, but to connect two royal palaces: it was, in essence, an amusement for the sovereign.
The entry of the South into united Italy: it was not an invasion
As we know, the Bourbon monarchy was overthrown by the Expedition of the Thousand, led by Garibaldi. The thousand volunteers who landed in Sicily were mostly citizens of the Center-North, but during the operations they were joined by thousands and thousands of volunteers from the South. At the end of the Expedition, Garibaldi’s forces they had about 50,000 men, mostly southerners.
The South was also well represented in the ruling class that governed the Kingdom of Italy. In the early years, the most important roles were occupied by citizens of the Center-North, but after 1876, when control of the government passed from the Right to the historic Left, numerous southern exponents rose to positions of power. Consider the Calabrian John Nicoteraseveral times Minister of the Interior and Sicilian Francis CrispiPresident of the Council almost uninterruptedly from 1887 to 1896.
The brigandage
As we know, between 1861 and 1865 the brigandagewhich, contrary to what is generally said, was not so much a political rebellion against the Unification and the Savoy, but rather a phenomenon of common crimewhich had existed for many centuries. The brigands committed robberies, thefts and extortions against the population and only in a few cases did their actions take on political connotationsbecause the Papal State and the Bourbons (in exile in Rome) financed them with the aim of destabilizing the Kingdom of Italy. It is true, however, that brigandage was due to the socio-economic conditions of the South and was favored by the changes brought about by the entry into the Kingdom of Italy.
Was the unification of Italy an advantage for the South?
For the South, the entry into the Kingdom of Italy in the medium term represented a progress of inestimable value. Certainly the Southern question has never been resolved, despite the measures introduced by governments over the years, and the level of development in the South has remained lower than that of the northern regions. In 1861, moreover, the government imposed the “Piedmontization”, that is, the extension of the political and administrative system of Piedmont to the whole of the Italian territory, which at the time created difficulties for the southern regions (just think of the compulsory military servicehated by the citizens of the South).
However, by abandoning the anachronistic Bourbon absolutism, to enter a constitutional monarchic state, the South remained tied to the political and economic progress that, albeit with many difficulties, affected Western Europe.
