Luigi Einaudi contre Giovanni Giolitti: entre libéralisme économique et médiation politique

A comparison between two major political figures, Einaudi and Giolitti, allows us to appreciate two different conceptions of liberal thought. Einaudi’s liberalism is the result of the studies of an economist who believes in the market and opposes reforms that control the means of production, creating the foundations of a welfare state. In contrast, for Giolitti, liberalism is a practice that must lay the foundations for social progress through the mediation between capital and labor, in order to collectively pursue the goal of national growth and development. Consequently, a profound disagreement arises between Einaudi and Giolitti, including over the principle of popular representation and the emancipation of the masses.