The Railways of Italian Africa

This article examines the function of railways in the African territories occupied by Italy between 1887 and 1943: 1 Eritrea, Somalia, Libya and Ethiopia. Railways were of basic importance to the development of colonial society and to Italian imperialism in Africa, The railway question gave rise to protracted debate, as the number of articles and books on this subject published throughout the colonial period demonstrates. Nevertheless, the economic, political and social significance of railways to the colonies has been largely ignored by historians.