The 1929 global economic crisis caused unemployment to soar from 8,000 people to 93,000 by 1936. Many industries, especially textiles, never recovered, forcing the government to finally devalue the Swiss franc by 30% in 1936.
Music
State-sponsored folk music festivals
The Opera Nazionale Dopolavoro (OND) organized massive folk music and dance surveys and festivals across Italian provinces.
Around the world · 1939–1945
The Second World War. The deadliest war in history, from 1939 to 1945: some 70 million people died. Brazil sent 25,000 soldiers to fight in Italy.
Chief Photographer's Mate (CPHoM) Robert F. Sargent · public domain
Daily life
Cramped sleeping and cold winters
Sleeping arrangements were often cramped, with some families sharing a single bed among many people or using mattresses filled with cornhusks or sheep wool that felt as hard as a rock. In cold weather, they relied on warmers, such as the prete or trabiccolo, to heat their beds.
In the news1927–1935
Economic crisis, 1927-1935
Following the Great Depression, the poorer classes in Italy suffered a fall in nominal wages of up to 70 percent between 1927 and 1935.
What people wore
Homemade Clothing and Tailoring Prevailed
Most Italians wore clothing made by home seamstresses or tailors because ready-to-wear garments were not yet common. Women often sewed, remade, or dyed garments at home as a productive leisure activity.
Getting around
Carriage travel San Marino to Rimini
Traveling 25 km between San Marino and Rimini by horse-drawn carriage took three hours in summer, increasing to four or five hours in winter when horses were replaced by mules or oxen.