[ExI] Italy's Social Capital (was france again)

[scerir]

Lee writes:
> I have two ideas, only one of which is outrageous. But the first
> one is to have universal millitary service for all young people
> between ages 14 and 25. By mixing them thoroughly with
> Italians from every province, couldn't trust evolve, and in
> such a way that the extreme parochialism of the countryside
> could be reduced?

There was a (compulsory) military service in Italy,
few years ago. But the rule was to be on military
service as close as possible to home. Little chance
for that mixing then.

> My outrageous idea is that instead of trying to subdue
> Ethiopia, what if Sicily and other areas of the south could
> have been "subdued" instead?

Something like that happened during Fascism. In example
(as far as I remember) 'mafia', in Sicily, has been defeated
during Fascism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesare_Mori

Mussolini also tried to 'colonize' central & southern 
regions. After 1931 vast tracts of land were reclaimed 
through the draining of marshes in the Lazio region, 
where gleaming new towns were created with Fascist 
architecture [1] and names: Littoria (now Latina) 
in 1932, Sabaudia in 1934, Pontinia in 1935, 
Aprilia in 1937, and Pomezia in 1938. Peasants were
brought from the regions of Emilia and, mostly, from 
Veneto, to populate these towns. Btw in these towns,
at present time, you can still hear people speaking 
their original dialect (from Bologna, or Verona)
and not the local one. New towns, such as Carbonia, 
were also built in Sardinia to house miners for
the revamped coal industry.

s.

[1] May I say here that the only 'modern' Italian 
architecture was the architecture made during
Fascism? Yes I think I can say that.
http://www.romeartlover.it/Eur.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/antmoose/sets/1239273/