Economies are recurrently faced with crises which differ as to their origins and nature, size and duration. Drawing on evidence concerning the Tyrolean silk industry in the second half of the nineteenth century, this study explores the impact of crises of different types on the industry’s structure and dynamics, and the reaction of the local producers. From the mid-nineteenth century onwards, the Tyrolean silk industry underwent two major periods of crisis: the first one was caused by pebrine, a highly contagious epidemic that erupted in the 1850s and raised the mortality rate among silkworms to unprecedented levels for almost two decades; the second one was related to the deflation of the 1870s, whose direct and indirect consequences were felt until the early 1890s. By drawing on several sources - historiography on the silk industry, contemporary statistical reports, and first-hand evidence from a leading family business - this study shows that a crisis is not necessarily destructive, to the extent that it offers incentives for investment and innovation, the ultimate impact being mostly determined by the manufacturers’ willingness and ability to provide a firm response.
The Roots of Decline: The Tyrolean Silk Industry and the Crises of the Second Half of the Nineteenth Century
Lorandini, Cinzia
2015-01-01
Abstract
Economies are recurrently faced with crises which differ as to their origins and nature, size and duration. Drawing on evidence concerning the Tyrolean silk industry in the second half of the nineteenth century, this study explores the impact of crises of different types on the industry’s structure and dynamics, and the reaction of the local producers. From the mid-nineteenth century onwards, the Tyrolean silk industry underwent two major periods of crisis: the first one was caused by pebrine, a highly contagious epidemic that erupted in the 1850s and raised the mortality rate among silkworms to unprecedented levels for almost two decades; the second one was related to the deflation of the 1870s, whose direct and indirect consequences were felt until the early 1890s. By drawing on several sources - historiography on the silk industry, contemporary statistical reports, and first-hand evidence from a leading family business - this study shows that a crisis is not necessarily destructive, to the extent that it offers incentives for investment and innovation, the ultimate impact being mostly determined by the manufacturers’ willingness and ability to provide a firm response.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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