New Industries (1861-1914)

The industrial wave hit Lombardy during the 19th century. New industries developed in new modern sectors, namely rubber, electricity and transport. This article wants to appraise the early industrial start of Lombardy, rather than Italy, in these industries and it aims to explain some major points. First, the study analyses the Lombardy growth during the second half of the 19th century, until WWI, and it points out the development of the concerned sectors in the Region, also providing a comparison with Italy and Europe. After that, the focus switches on the main actors of the economic growth: companies and entrepreneurs. Indeed, the rise of the entrepreneurship put the basis for the creation and the development of modern industries. The third point concerns the institutional context, such as different factors that fostered an industrial atmosphere. The Lombardy’s industrial development was accomplished through an increasing level of education (creation of worker schools and universities), entrepreneurs’ philanthropy and the business welfare system and, not least, a supportive financial system. In particular, in financial terms the foreign investments led to the importation of new technologies and techniques, essential to the industrial growth. The last point emphasises the relationship amongst new industries, both sectorial and geographical. The sectorial nature of links is due to a proactive process of development that involves the whole Lombardy’s modernisation. Opposite, the rise of new sectors led to the division of the Region in several specialised industrial areas. In the end, this study displays how these main factors acted on the development path of the new industries and how they created a dynamic modern economic system in Lombardy.