The 19th century in the Lombard Alps: The unfulfilled promise of industrialization

The article aims to contribute to the discussion on the causes and the trajectories of the process of industrialization and economic development between the 18th and the 19th centuries. Focusing on the case study of the Lombard Alpine area, it will test the usefulness of the concept of uneven and combined development (UCD) in order to better understand the process of economic growth. The Alpine case study is particularly interesting because, in some Lombard Valleys, it involves a shift from a very advanced economy in the Early Modern period to a demographic and economic collapse from the mid‐19th century onward, when in contrast, other mountain territories in the Italian area were moving towards industrialization.