Defining 'greater Italy': Migration and colonialism in Africa and the Americas, 1880--1915

This dissertation investigates the changing meanings of Italian colonialism and migration, in a comparative international perspective. From the 1880s, mounting emigration presented many challenges to the new Italian state. Liberal politicians and Catholic clergy called emigration a domestic “safety valve,” but many emigrants were lost in American “melting pots.” Prime Minister Francesco Crispi proposed developing Italy's African possessions to house emigrants and keep them under the Italian flag. When conquest in Africa failed in 1896, Liberal politicians began cultivating the “colonies” of Italians in the Americas. With population as the basis of colonialism, the colonies of Buenos Aires, Sao Paolo, New York, etc., provided Italy with necessary markets, representation, and prestige.; To maintain or create emigrants' italianità, the Italian state developed programs and subsidized private efforts to build networks among the outposts of “Greater Italy.” Consuls coordinated subsidies for Italian Chambers of Commerce, charities, and schools, including Catholic institutions which served Italians abroad. The Dante Alighieri Society taught standard Italian to adult emigrants, who often spoke regional dialects, and attempted to create Italian loyalties in their children born abroad. Colonial journals and exhibitions inside Italy celebrated the achievements of Italian expatriates. Supporting this transnational nationalism brought enormous benefits: a high rate of return migration, a strong boost for exports, and a crucial stream of remittances. Italy's migration policies were models for Germany and France.; However, Italian critics argued that emigration exploited individuals, and betrayed Italy's great destiny. This critique was crucial to the rise of Enrico Corradini and the Nationalist Association, which later fused with the Fascist Party. The Nationalists undermined the ideologies of emigrant colonialism and urged a return to the demographic settlement of Africa. Under their pressure, the Italy-Turkish War of 1911–1912 became a national conquest of Libya. World War I marked the climax of expatriate colonialism, when 303,000 men returned from Europe and the Americas to fight for Italy.; This work offers new perspectives on the role of population colonies within theories of European imperialism; the fusion of domestic and foreign policy within Italian imperialism; and the significance of Italian policies, especially regarding remittances, for contemporary migrations.