1. 1
The Third Path: Italian Economic History in the Post Napoleonic World
Prof. Peter Cullen
Faculty of Languages and Foreign Literature
peter.cullen@uniurb.it
This syllabus is available on the course blog: ithg.wordpress.com
Object:
The interaction between man and the environment has been one of the most basic
determinants of the development of societies over the course of their individual and collectivehistories.
This course will expose the student to the multi-faceted relationships between the development of
contemporary Italian society and its natural and constructed geographical environments. Much of the
course of Italian history has been specifically influenced by its geographical position as a cross-roads of
Mediterranean trade routes and population displacement. As these axes shifted away from the
Mediterranean in the Seventeenth century, the Italian peninsula lost hold of its Medieval and
Renaissance primacy in trade and Mediterranean politics, later conditioning the development
possibilities open to the fledgling Italian state in the late 19th
century. Of particular interest is the
shifting geography of the Italian economy as it moved from a predominantly agricultural (primary
sector) economy to a predominantly service-sector (tertiary sector) economy over the period from the
creation of the Italian nation-state to the beginning of the 21st
century. By focusing on the
development of Italian economic and business models, therefore, this course intends to demonstrate
the continuing influence of geographical opportunities and constraints on the development of the
Italian nation-state and its participation in changing world systems.
Expectations:
 Students are expected to come to class. The professor will keep a register of class participation
which will be reflected in the final assessment. Classes will involvea mixture of lecture and class
discussion.
 Students are expected to obtain a copy of the text-books: J. Cohen, and G. Federico, The
Growth of the Italian Economy, 1820-1960, Cambridge, CUP, 2001; Karl Gunnar
Persson, An Economic History of Europe – Knowledge, Institutions and Growth, CUP,
2010. A copy of the texts are available at the concierge’s desk on the upper floor of the Istituto
di Lingue. You may take these for reading in the Faculty, but must return them to my mail box
before leaving. The text will be supplemented with journal articles available from the professor.
Students may make photocopies of anything they find in that folder. Readings other than
Cohen and Federico are available on the blog ithg.wordpress.com. Class discussion requires
that weekly readings be completed.
 The course also involves two written assignments and a geography quiz. These assignments
make up the bulk of the final evaluation. The geography quiz will take place during the third
week of lessons.
 The first assignment is a short paper (NO MORE THAN 5 PAGES) that must compare two
articles assigned specifically by the professor – these may be found in the Faculty of

2. 2
Languages (Piazza Rinascimento 7). Studentsmust pay attention to the logic with which these
two articles were written and their contribution to understanding the Italian case. Evaluation of
this assignment depends on concise presentation of the relative compared qualitiesof the
articles. Please ask the professor for advice on this assignment. There is time! This is due for
the second class.
The two articles are:
Delille, G., “Agricultural Systems and Demographic Structure in the Kingdom of Naples”.
In Good Government in Spanish Naples, edited by A. Calabria and J. Marino, New York,
Peter Lang, 1990.
Blok, A. “The Latifondo”, from Blok, A. The Mafia of a Sicilian Village, chapter 4, Harper, 1974.
The second assignment is a thesis proposal:
The object of this exercise is to familiarise the student with the questions and problems involved in
presenting a research thesis proposal. This requires:
 The consolidation an intellectual concept that leads to structured investigation – context and
hypothesis
 An explanation of relevant literature and how this research will fit into the literary context
 An explanation of the research plan – methodology, instruments and techniques of use and
implementation
 Considerations of expected results and how this will contribute to the field.
The proposal should not be more than 5 pages, structured according to the above-mentioned points.
There should be a separate title page that must contain:
The name, last name and affiliation of the student (U of Urbino? A company?)
The date
The title of the thesis
On one line, a list of 3-5 key words.
This proposal requires some background research into the literature and the development of a research
approach. IT IS, THEREFORE, STRONGLY SUGGESTED that students begin this project as soon
as possible. It is due in week 15 and will be discussed in class or on the blog, depending on whether
the student can come to class on a regular basis or not.
 The evaluation of the student is structured as follows:
Geography Quiz: 20%
Short comparative assignment: 30%
Thesis proposal: 30%
Class participation: 20% = 100% (30 cum laude)

3. 3
The Italian grading system operates on a 0 – 30 basis. For the purposes of this course:
30-30 e lode = A
28 – 29 = A-
26 – 27 = B+
24 – 25 = B
22 – 23 = B-
20 – 21 = C+
18 – 19 = C
Below 18 = F
Grades will be assigned as above using a percentage format (out of 100%) and translated into
the appropriate letter grade and Italian grade scale mark.
Lesson Programme:
Week 1:
 Introduction – understanding the human past – culture and environment
(Hand out comparative paper articles, geography material)
Week 2:
 The Italian peninsula in the European world-systems of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth
centuries.
Reading: Persson Introduction and Ch. 1-2.
Week 3:
 Unification? Centripetal and centrifugal forces in the creation of the Italian nation-state.
Reading: Persson Ch. 3-4.
Week 4:
 The Italian economy at the turn of the Nineteenth century – missing the 2nd
Industrial
Revolution?
Reading: Persson Ch. 5; Cohen and Federico Ch. 1 (Intro)
Week 5:
Geography quiz!
 WWI – Italy as an actor in the European theatre.

4. 4
Reading Persson Ch. 6; Cohen and Federico Ch. 2
Week 6:
 Post-war Italy and the rise of Fascism – social order and the polarization of economic models.
Reading: Persson Ch. 7; Cohen and Federico Ch 3.
Week 7:
Short paper due
 Fascism and the consolidation of the Italian nation state.
Reading: Persson Ch. 8; Cohen and Federico Ch. 4.
Week 8:
 Imperial Italy and the Mare Nostrum.
Reading: Persson Ch. 9; Cohen and Federico Ch 5
Week 9:
 WWII and civil war – a European appendicitis.
Reading: Persson Ch. 10; Cohen and Federico Ch. 6.
Week 10:
 Reconstruction, the New Republic, and the Marshall Plan – Italy between American and Soviet
models.
Reading: Persson Ch. 11; Cohen and Federico Ch. 7
Week 11:
 The 1950’s – Poor but Beautiful? – A new exodus and the beginning of a love-affair.
Reading; Persson Ch. 12
Week 12:
 The re-affirmation of regionalism
Reading: Cohen and Federico: Conclusion, and Peri, Socio-cultural Variables and Economic Success: Evidence
from Italian Provinces 1951 – 1991 (from www.itgh.wordpress.com)
Week 13:

5. 5
Thesis proposal due
 The business district and the SME.
Reading: Florio, Ozzimo, Innovation Strategies for SME’s and Clusters: The Challenges of a Globalised
Europe; and Gambacorta, Bank Specific Characteristics and Monetary Policy Transmission: The Case of Italy
Week 14:
 Italy and energy: 250 years of dependence.
Reading: Aureli, Ciambotti, Salvatori, InterpretiveAnalsyis of the Italian Shoemaking Industry: Some Empirical
Evidence from the Marche Region; and Michele Polo and Carlo Scarpa The Liberalisation of Energy Markets in
Europe and Italy
Week 15:
Final exam!
 Still down at the crossroads: Opportunities and threats in a global economic arena.
Reading: Breton, Scott, Fraschini, Explaining Differences in Environmental Governance PatternsBetween
Canada, Italy and the United States; and Criqui, Mima, Kitous, The European Energy System in the Context of
Long Term Climate Policies