Capitalismo e democrazia: conflitto sociale e “amministrazione in appalto” nel liberalismo atlantico di Nitti (1893-1919)

Abstract

This essay sheds light on Nitti’s contribution to the Atlantic liberalism, as it arose across Europe and the US around the end of 19th and the beginning of the 20st century. The aim of this transnational, intellectual and political movement was to cope with the controversial relationship between capitalism and democracy. In this sense, I will divide the essay into two interrelated sections. Firstly, I will elucidate Nitti’s intellectual reflection in the late 19th century, as he interpreted social conflict as an endogenous source for the modernization and democratization of Italy; secondly, I will deal with the administrative reforms Nitti implemented as he held ministerial positions in the 1910s. Namely, in section two, I will focus on the role of special administrative agencies – the so called ‘Enti pubblici’ – that were designed to reform capitalism and democratize society.