The Giolitti's law of August 1893 and those which later supplemented it had set in their strict provisions the objective of realizing a «true» European-type issuing Institution. Between 1894 and the eve of the First World War, the Bank of Italy faced the twofold task of erasing the legacy of the past, liquidating the heavy burden of those assets arising from the credit expansion in the 1880s, and supporting the industrial growth of the country, ensuring stability and availability of credit to the economic system.
The documents collected in this volume shed light on the difficulties and peculiarities of the formation of the central bank in Italy, illustrating the rules, instruments, and goals of the Bank of Italy action, the constraints imposed by the market and its position between private and public interests.
