Dear all,
Italy, like France, seemed well positioned to succeed in the age of mass production. France’s centralized, bureaucratic culture was built by the crown and the ones who served it (Mazarin, Richelieu, Colbert), then reinforced by the Revolution (the continuity between the Ancien Régime and the Revolution was the topic of Alexis de Tocqueville’s other book), and finally consolidated by Napoleon.
As a nation, France entered the 19th century ready to thrive in a techno-economic paradigm that rewarded efficiency at scale. Indeed it performed quite well in both the age of steel and heavy engineering and the age of the automobile and mass production. We French people came out of it all persuaded that we had secured our membership in the club of the most-developed countries on earth forever.
The Italian paradox
As for Italy, well, its heritage of efficiency at scale dates back much further in history. There was the Roman Empire of course, but also the excellence in both trade and product…