ABSTRACT
Trade policy is arguably the most controversial topic in the entire debate over Italian economic development, et pour cause. It represented the main instrument of state intervention in the allocation of resources, at least until the 1930s. Trade policy was utilised both to defend sectors that were threatened by foreign competition, and also to promote the development of others, the presence of which was considered desirable for any reason. The political implications, therefore, were considerable, both because of the reaction of the interested parties involved, and also because of their possible influence on the long-run pattern of Italian development. Trade policy was thus highly controversial at that time, and historians have picked up much of this debate, albeit with a wider range of opinions than that of the simple contrast between free-traders and protectionists. Opinions vary from a very strong criticism to a more or less critical acceptance.
