At the end of 19th century Ferrara's province experienced a huge steam draining and the spreading of agricultural capitalism, leading to the formation of a rural mass proletariat, engaged in class struggles and political radicalism. After First World War a strong wave of violences committed by fascist squads ("squadrismo") defeated labour movement. Fascists in power inherited all previous problems, aggravated by agricultural crisis and by population development. They spoke about converting rural labourers in sharecroppers, but they tried to manage what they called "Ferrara's problem" using old methods (fascists trade unions, public works, equal redistribution of poor incomes). There was, however, also an attempt of innovation, namely in managing mobility: closing the province to immigrant peasants from outside, and closing also Ferrara from almost every immigrant; organizing temporary labour circulation, inside the province and all over Italy; pushing large families to settle as farmers in Sardinia, Latium and Italian empire in Africa. Finally, local fascism was unable to direct population flows, that where instead aiming to large towns and industrial areas. "Ferrara's problem" wouldn't be resolved, but it was dissolved through rural exodus after World War II.
La provincia di Ferrara, segnata a fine Ottocento dalle bonifiche e dal capitalismo agrario, vide la formazione di un proletariato rurale di massa e il dispiegamento di forme radicali di conflitto di classe. Non a caso fu luogo di nascita e trionfo dello squadrismo agrario. Il fascismo ereditò i problemi della fase precedente, aggravati dalla crisi dell'agricoltura e dalla crescita demografica. Pur agitando la parola d'ordine della "sbracciantizzazione" e dell'"appoderamento", per trasformazre i proletari in mezzadri, provò a gestire il "problema ferrarese" con strumenti della tradizione precedente: il sindacato, i lavori pubblici, la redistribuzione egualitaria, la compartecipazione. Vi aggiunse due elementi: un tentativo di chiusura della provincia all'immigrazione contadina esterna e della città a quella interna; una pratica di mobilità temporanea locale e nazionale, di incentivo ad alcuni trasferimenti definitivi (nell'Agro Pontino, in Sardegna e nelle colonie). Riuscì solo in parte a indirizzare i flussi, che invece spontaneamente si indirizzarono verso le grandi città e i centri industriali. Il "problema ferrarese" non sarebbe stato risolto, ma dissolto dall'esodo postbellico.
Campagne littorie? fascismo e mobilità nel Ferrarese
Michele Nani
2016-01-01
Abstract
At the end of 19th century Ferrara's province experienced a huge steam draining and the spreading of agricultural capitalism, leading to the formation of a rural mass proletariat, engaged in class struggles and political radicalism. After First World War a strong wave of violences committed by fascist squads ("squadrismo") defeated labour movement. Fascists in power inherited all previous problems, aggravated by agricultural crisis and by population development. They spoke about converting rural labourers in sharecroppers, but they tried to manage what they called "Ferrara's problem" using old methods (fascists trade unions, public works, equal redistribution of poor incomes). There was, however, also an attempt of innovation, namely in managing mobility: closing the province to immigrant peasants from outside, and closing also Ferrara from almost every immigrant; organizing temporary labour circulation, inside the province and all over Italy; pushing large families to settle as farmers in Sardinia, Latium and Italian empire in Africa. Finally, local fascism was unable to direct population flows, that where instead aiming to large towns and industrial areas. "Ferrara's problem" wouldn't be resolved, but it was dissolved through rural exodus after World War II.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.