L’occhio discreto. L’industrializzazione pontina nelle carte di Banca d’Italia (1950-1965)

Mostly based on the archival sources from the Bank of Italy, this paper aims at analysing the industrialization that took place in the area of Latina in the 1950s and 1960s. At that time Latina was considered a case study because it seemed to represent a positive example of how state intervention – through the Cassa per il Mezzogiorno and Isveimer – could generate successful development in Southern regions of Italy. The research firstly investigates the take over of local industries at the early stages of the 1950s and the emerging problems of a brand new economy addressed by public investment. It then analyzes the turning point given by the 1957 industrial law for the South, which led to a new phase characterized by the establishment in Latina of national and international companies. A specific focus is also paid to the financial crackdown on the local bank “Cassa di risparmio di Latina”, which became a political scandal and involved prominent representatives of the Christian democrat party that played a key role in implementing state intervention in Latina.