The Italian Gun-making District from a Long-term Perspective. Roots, Turning Points, Evolutionary Factors

The aim of this study is to reconstruct and reinterpret the roots and evolution of the Italian gun-making district. Focusing on the phases that preceded the postwar development, the intention is to analyze the multiple key social and economic factors that crucially influenced the evolutionary process of the local production system. The case study is considered in a long-term perspective and its characterizing evolutionary factors are analyzed in the light of contributions by economic historians on the origins and developments of industrial districts.