More difficult than the preservation of Italy's former importance in the scientific, literary and artistic world was the beginning of economic importance. The energy which liberty devel oped in the inhabitants, especially in the north ern parts, and the provisions of the state ren dered possible many great public works, des tined for the progress of agriculture, of indus tries and of commerce; for example, the re demption of marshy lands in Ferrara and near Rome; the colossal aqueduct of the Puglie; the tunnels of Cenisio, Saint Gottard and the Sim plon, which it is intended to follow by those, of Spluga and Montebianco (Mont Blanc) ; the construction of railroads, which on 30 April 1915 extended a distance of 11,337 miles; the regu lation of the harbors, among which Genoa bids fair to become the foremost on the Mediter ranean. Industries which had never existed be fore now appear and prosper from day to day; in some lines, for instance in weaving cotton cloth and silk fabrics, in the construction of automobiles, Italy does a large export business. The Alps which surround the peninsula, and the Apennines which traverse it, furnish in their streams cheap and abundant electric power; which will constantly lessen the amount now paid for the importation of coal. The country does not yet produce all the wheat which it needs, but agriculture is constantly progressing. The population has increased not ably, and 4,000,000 Italians work in foreign coun tries, from whence they contribute their savings to add to the national wealth. If all the regions
of the kingdom, in industries, in commerce, in agriculture, in the diffusion of popular educa tion, should arrive at that degree of efficiency to which the northern provinces and a part of central Italy have risen in less than half a cen tury, Italy would in these aspects also stand on an equality with .any of the most progressive nations. What she has been able to accomplish in spite of the enormous difficulties created by her peculiar conditions, was well seen in the International Exposition held in Milan in 1906 to celebrate the opening of the Simplon tunnel.
Bibllography.—Consult Bianchi, N., 'Storia della diplomaua europea in Italia' (Turin 1865-72) ; Tivaroni, Carlo, 'Storia del Rigor gimento italiano> (Turin 1888-97) ; Orsi, Pietro, moderna' (Milan 1910) • Cesa resco, E., 'Liberation of Italy' (London '1895) ; Thayer, W. R, 'Dawn of Italian Independ ence> (Boston 1893) ; Trevelyan, G. M., 'Gari baldi and the Making of Italy> (New York 1911) •, King, Bolton, 'History of Italian (London 1899) ; Thayer, W. R., 'Life and Times of Cavone (Boston 1911) ; Orsi, Pietro, 'Cavour and the Making of Modern Italy' (New York 1914) ; Crisp, Francesco, 'Mem oirs' (trans., London 1912-14) • King, B., and Okey, T., 'Italy To-day' (London 1913).