ABSTRACT
In the period preceding Fascism certain differences between the north and south of Italy had already become pronounced. Although there had been a degree of industrialisation and urbanisation in the South, these processes had occurred to a far greater extent in the northern cities, particularly in Turin, Milan and Genoa. This had led to the growth of mass trade unions and a large socialist party. Many peasant organisations in rural areas of northern and central Italy had also arisen, partly in response to increased farm mechanisation. Yet the South remained far more rural, and feudal remnants such as large landowners and religious dominance of village life persisted.
