Poesie - Lelio Porreca
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[1.Eng.] 1860’s – Brigandage broke out in Abruzzo in the 1860’s, following the unification of Italy; brigandage was an imposing and fearful phenomenon which did, however, have its positive aspects. Amongst the brigands there were some sincere and worthy men who, together with the Bourbon regime, were convinced about defending the cause of justice. [2.Eng.] “Gentlemen”: professionals, land-owners, people of authority [3.Eng.] “Face to the ground”: a warning similar to “hands up”, but safer and still more efficient [4.Eng.] “people of little importance”: artesans |
Some historical facts: In 1860, after the fall of the Bourbon regime, defeated by Garibaldi's army of volunteers, the South was annexed to the other Italian States but it was burdened with conditions of great backward economy and social injustice. The new government of 1861 was a creature of the bourgeoisie, and they dealt with the problems of the South by establishing an alliance between the rich proprietors of the North and the Southern landowners, disregarding the agrarian reform advocated by the peasants of the South. A strict centralized administration was established supported by heavy rules, most burdensome for the economically weakest. Between 1861 and 1865 Brigandage swept the whole South with awful force. It was the violent expression of a deep social and economic disease following Garibaldi's expedition. Bands of brigands were formed mainly by former Garibaldi's red shirts, former soldiers of the Bourbon army, farm-labourers, waged peasants who lived in utter poverty, and also by their women, as valiant as the men. They were groups of outlaws who gathered around a leader and, fully-armed attacked people and property. They became thieves, murderers and criminals; armed revolution was the only way they could gain political rights and fight poverty. The situation got still worse when the possessions of the Church and of the Southern landowners were auctioned. Buyers mostly belonged to the new rural bourgeoisie, who proved to be even more tyrannical than the former lords. In the summer of 1861 armed bands of brigands started in to rob, kill, burn, occupy the properties of the new rich class in Abruzzo (also in Calabria, Apulia, Campania, Basilicata). They took refuge in the mountains and were protected and hidden not only by the poor peasants, but also by the clergy and former landowners whose properties had been confiscated. The Italian government reacted by employing more than 120,000 soldiers. This army was faced not with a few thieves, but with the revolution of a whole people. Reprisals were cruel and bloody on both sides and often the poor population was dragged into the fights, whole villages were destroyed and hundreds of peasants were shot without trial under the unfounded accusation of protecting the brigands. This general worsening of the economic conditions under the newly established Kingdom of Italy (1861), gave rise, not only to brigandage but also marked the onset of massive emigration both abroad and also to more industrial Italian areas. Only in 1878 was brigandage completely defeated.
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English translation courtesy of Marion Apley Porreca |