THE PRIMARY CITY: Industriousness and Economic Centrality (18th–19th cc.)

The prevailing historiographical stereotype of Naples as a polarised society with an insignificant middle class, dominated by a narrow elite and a vast, impoverished popular mass, can be profitably challenged, as can the associated, long-held notion that the Kingdom was heavily dependent on imports because the Neapolitan secondary sector was insufficient to meet domestic demand. The chapter shows how an over-reliance on 18th-century literature and 19th-century trade balances has distorted historical interpretations. In both periods, the city of Naples had significant employment in crafts and industry, particularly in areas such as the silk industry, ceramics, goldsmithing and glove-making, which in some cases were leading sectors of the Kingdom’s export trade. Furthermore, Naples’ status as the primary city lies in its function as a commercial and financial hub at the Kingdom level. Naples’ sphere of influence remained generally Mediterranean, partly because it moved in a world dominated by larger political and maritime powers, but the city was well integrated into international trade networks throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. The political and economic unification of Italy had a disruptive effect on Naples’ economy. The sudden changes in tariffs and institutions triggered a severe systemic crisis and Naples’ established role as a primary city eroded, leading to the dispersion of its accumulated professional and technical heritage.