Storia dell'industria delle macchine utensili in Piemonte dalle origini alla seconda guerra mondiale

The machine tool industry is still of great importance in Piedmont. Its origin dates back to the mid-nineteenth century when the process of industrialization began in Piedmont, too, lagging behind other countries. This working paper analyzes the birth of the first factories in Turin, the role played by military establishments and the expansion of railways. In the early 1900s and after the First World War, the automotive industry led the next development. In Turin, the machine tool factories are concentrated in a restricted area with district features. Other development poles are in the provinces of Novara and Alessandria. Between the two World Wars, the technological delay against United States and Germany continues and high import dependency remains, despite internal development.