The economic development of the area progressed unevenly and was heavily influenced by political borders. The establishment of the Rapallo border brought about significant changes in the region’s economic growth, as it divided what had until then been a unified area into two distinct economic realities. The creation of the border significantly stimulated certain activities. It gave rise to others that could not have existed without it, while at the same time, it critically suppressed many economic sectors. In combination with the wartime colonisation of the area and the population withdrawal during and after the war, it shaped economic processes, the accumulation of knowledge, and the potential for regional development—effects that were felt long after the border had disappeared and had been officially removed.
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