Editing History of Sardinia (section)

==United Italy==
[[File:Museo Garibaldino di Caprera 3.jpg|thumb|The statue of [[Giuseppe Garibaldi|Garibaldi]] in [[Caprera]], [[La Maddalena]]. His house and farm are now the most visited Sardinian museum.]]

===Kingdom of Italy===
Most Sardinian forests were cut down at this time, in order to provide the Piedmontese with raw materials, like wood, used to make railway sleepers on the mainland. The extension of primary natural forests, praised by every traveller visiting Sardinia, would in fact be reduced to little more than 100,000 hectares at the end of the century.<ref>''Colpi di scure e sensi di colpa. Storia del disboscamento della Sardegna dalle origini a oggi'', Fiorenzo Caterini, Carlo Delfino editore, {{ISBN|978-88-7138-704-8}}</ref>

With the [[Unification of Italy]] in 1861, the Kingdom of Sardinia became the [[Kingdom of Italy]]. Since 1855 the national hero [[Giuseppe Garibaldi]] bought most of the island of [[Caprera]] in the [[Maddalena archipelago]], where he moved because of the loss of his home town of [[Nice]]. His house, farm and tomb are now the most visited Sardinian museum (''Compendio Garibaldino'').

In 1883 the first train travelled between Cagliari and Sassari, and in these decades were made all the modern public works: roads, dams, schools, sewers and aqueducts, mainly in the cities.

During the [[First World War]] the Sardinian soldiers of the [[Brigata Sassari]] distinguished themselves, with several being decorated with gold medals and other honours. Following the war, in occasion of [[Anglo-Irish Treaty|Irish independence]] the ex-combatants organized themselves into a [[Sardinian nationalism|Sardinian nationalist]] movement, the [[Sardinian Action Party]], but was eventually outlawed in 1926. In 1924, the Italian Parliament led by [[Benito Mussolini]] passed a bill (called ''la legge del miliardo'') to establish a budget of one billion ''[[Italian lira|lire]]'' to develop infrastructure in order to encourage economic development. However, only a portion of the designated funds were ever distributed, and mainly in [[Cagliari]].

The writer [[Grazia Deledda]] won the [[Nobel Prize for Literature]] in 1926.

[[File:Piazza Roma Carbonia.jpg|thumb|The "fascist coal-city" of [[Carbonia, Sardinia|Carbonia]].]]
During the [[fascism|Fascist]] period, with the implementation of the policy of [[autarky]], several swamps around the island were drained and new agrarian communities founded. The main communities were in the area of Oristano, where the village of Mussolinia (now called [[Arborea]]), populated by people from [[Veneto]] and [[Friuli]], was located, and in the area adjacent the city of Alghero, within the region of [[Nurra]], where [[Fertilia]] was built, settled, after the World War II, by [[Istrians]] and [[Dalmatia]]ns from [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]]. Also established during that time was the city of [[Carbonia, Italy|Carbonia]], which became the main centre of mining activity. Works to drain the numerous waste lands and the growth of mining activities favoured the arrival of numerous settlers and immigrants from the Mainland.

The repression by the Fascist regime of its opponents within the region was ruthless. Rural Sardinia showed little interest in the Fascist state, while the urban bourgeoisie from the cities, some of which being repopulated by Italian mainlanders, were its staunchest supporters on the island.<ref>[http://www.filologiasarda.eu/documenti/eventi/A_History_of_Sardinia.pdf ''A History of Sardinia'', by Nicola Gabriele (translated by Sally Davies), University of Cagliari]</ref> [[Antonio Gramsci]], one of the founders of [[Italian Communist Party]], was arrested and died in prison. The anarchist [[Michele Schirru]] was executed after a failed assassination plot against [[Benito Mussolini]].

During [[World War II]] [[Bombing of Cagliari in World War II|Sardinia was a theatre of bombing]]; from 1940 the Axis used its airfields for attacks across the Mediterranean, while from 1943 the island was under air attack from the Allies and the cities of [[Cagliari]] and [[Alghero]] were heavily bombed. (Air raids had also been conducted by an aircraft carrier of the [[Royal Navy]] in September 1940, shortly after Italy's entry into the war.) German troops were stationed on Sardinia and Corsica – occupied by the Italians – in 1943. By that July, most airbases in Sardinia had been rendered inoperable by Allied aerial bombing. A number of diversionary raids on Sardinia, [[Operation Hawthorn]], were carried out by the Allies in summer 1943 to distract Axis attention from the upcoming invasion of Sicily, [[Operation Husky]]. [[Operation Mincemeat]] was an elaborate diversion implemented by the Allies to persuade the Axis's intelligence that their planned invasion of southern Europe would take place in the Balkans and Italy and would feature an invasion of Sardinia. This succeeded in diverting Axis troops from Sicily, the real target of the invasion.
The war ended in Sardinia in September 1943, with the withdrawal of the [[Wehrmacht]] to [[Corsica]] following the surrender of Italy to the Allies under the [[Armistice of Cassibile]], and the island, together with [[Southern Italy]], became [[Kingdom of Italy#Civil war (1943–1945)|free]]. Allied forces landed on Sardinia on 14 September 1943 and the last German troops were expelled on the 18th.{{cn|date=June 2023}}

===Italian Republic and Sardinian autonomy===
[[File:Cagliari panoramica.jpg|thumbnail|800px|center|View of some areas of Cagliari and part of its metropolitan area. Together with Sassari and Olbia it is one of the most important economic hubs of the island]]

In 1946 more than 60% of Sardinians voted in [[Italian constitutional referendum, 1946|favour of monarchy]], just as much as in Southern Italy, but a few days later Italy became a Republic. In 1948 Sardinia obtained the status of autonomous region which, while being the highest degree of [[self-governance]] since the Judicates era, fell short of many Sardinians' expectations.<ref name="Simonis, Damien 2003 p. 17">Simonis, Damien. ''Lonely Planet Sardinia'', Lonely Planet Publications (June 2003), p. 17</ref> The first regional elections were held on 8 May 1949. By 1951, [[malaria]] was successfully eliminated with the support of the [[Rockefeller Foundation]].<ref name="Simonis, Damien 2003 p. 17"/> In the same years the [[Italian economic miracle]] led to the birth of Sardinian [[tourism|tourist]] "boom", mainly focused on beach holidays and luxury tourism, such as in [[Costa Smeralda]]. Today about ten million people visit the island every year.

[[File:Olbia-Stazione marittima.JPG|thumb|Due to its proximity to the peninsula and the great development of tourism in [[Gallura]], [[Olbia]] is the busiest Italian passengers port.]]
With the increase in tourism, coal decreased in importance. However, shortly after the Second World War a ponderous industrialization effort was commenced, the so-called "''Piani di Rinascita''" (Rebirth Plans), with the initiation of major infrastructure projects on the island.  This included the realization of new dams and roads, reforestation, agricultural zones on reclaimed marsh land, and large industrial complexes (primarily oil refineries and related petrochemical operations). These efforts to create jobs have largely failed due to the high costs of transportation that could not compensate the cheap labor. In the 1950s and 1960s many [[Sardinians]] migrated to [[Northern Italy|Northern]] and [[Central Italy]] ([[Lombardy]], [[Piedmont]], [[Liguria]], [[Tuscany]] and [[Rome]]) and the rest of Europe (mostly in [[Germany]], [[France]] and [[Belgium]]) but also from the interior of the island to the coastal cities of Cagliari, Olbia and Sassari. In the early 1960s with the creation of petrochemical industries, thousands of ex-farmers became specialised workers, and some others would commence to work on the newly established military bases,<ref>[http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1464884917700914 Esu, Aide; Maddanu, Simone. ''Military pollution in no war zone: The military representation in the local media'', SAGE Journals]</ref> created primarily for the [[NATO]]. Even now, around 60% of all Italian and US military installations in Italy are on Sardinia, whose area is less than one-tenth of all the Italian territory and whose population is little more than the 2,5%;<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.neweurope.eu/article/bc-us-stock-prices-us-214/ |title=Sardinia host 60 percent of Italy's state-owned lands used by NATO, non-NATO forces and weapon makers, NewEurope.eu |access-date=18 July 2016 |archive-date=4 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404174657/https://www.neweurope.eu/article/bc-us-stock-prices-us-214/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> furthermore, they comprise over 35.000 hectares used for experimental weapons testing,<ref>[http://www.regione.sardegna.it/argomenti/ambiente_territorio/servitumilitari/ Sardegna, servitù militari – Official regional website]</ref><ref>[http://www.enricolobina.org/wp/2014/07/25/sardinia-and-the-right-to-self-determination-of-peoples-document-to-be-presented-to-the-european-left-university-berlin-2014/ Sardinia and the right to self-determination of peoples, Document to be presented to the European left University of Berlin – Enrico Lobina]</ref> where 80% of the military explosives in Italy are used.<ref>[http://espresso.repubblica.it/attualita/2016/02/29/news/silenzio-di-piombo-le-basi-militari-in-sardegna-e-quelle-morti-senza-risposte-1.252237 Silenzio di piombo: le basi militari in Sardegna e quelle morti senza risposte, Sara Dellabella, L'Espresso]</ref> Ever since, there has always been a local [[protest movement]] expressing deep concern over the [[environmental degradation]] the military activities would cause.<ref>[http://www.news.com.au/finance/business/other-industries/dark-truth-behind-sardinias-holiday-oasis/news-story/8a372818be6d3d0d2c969ab24914df05 Dark truth behind Sardinia's holiday oasis, News.com.au]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://warisacrime.org/downloads/sardinia.pdf |title=Sardinia: Militarization, Contamination and Cancer in Paradise |access-date=21 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160626131218/http://warisacrime.org/downloads/sardinia.pdf |archive-date=26 June 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Nevertheless, since 1973 the international oil crisis caused the firing of thousands of workers employed in the [[petrochemical industry]]. Especially because of the failed industrialization plans, Sardinia is actually the most polluted region in Italy, with over 445,000 hectares of contaminated soil still to be remediated.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.unionesarda.it/articolo/cronaca_sardegna/2015/03/07/la_sardegna_la_regione_pi_inquinata_d_italia_sono_445mila_gli_ett-6-410607.html |title=L'Isola è la regione più inquinata d'Italia: 445mila gli ettari ancora da bonificare – Unione Sarda |access-date=8 March 2015 |archive-date=13 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913223247/http://www.unionesarda.it/articolo/cronaca_sardegna/2015/03/07/la_sardegna_la_regione_pi_inquinata_d_italia_sono_445mila_gli_ett-6-410607.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[http://lanuovasardegna.gelocal.it/regione/2011/11/09/news/greenpeace-l-isola-e-la-regione-piu-inquinata-d-italia-1.3582760 Greenpeace: «L'isola è la regione più inquinata d'Italia» – La Nuova Sardegna]</ref>

Among other factors, [[economic crisis]] and [[unemployment]] aggravated the crime rate, as evidenced by the increasing frequency of phenomena such as [[kidnappings]] and [[political subversion]] of the [[Anonima sarda]]: between the 1970s and the early 1980s, some [[communist]] and [[sardinian nationalism|nationalist]] militant groups, the most famous being ''Barbagia Rossa'' and the [[Sardinian Armed Movement]] (MAS), claimed several terrorist attempts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sisde.it/gnosis/Rivista3.nsf/ServNavigE/7 |title=Sardinia, a political laboratory |publisher=GNOSIS, Italian Intelligence Magazine |access-date=5 February 2015 |archive-date=18 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071218082352/http://www.sisde.it/gnosis/Rivista3.nsf/ServNavigE/7 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>''The Dynamics of Subversion and Violence in Contemporary Italy'' – Vittorfranco Pisano, Hoover Institution Press (1987)</ref><ref>''Il codice barbaricino'' – Paola Sirigu, Davide Zedda Editore</ref> In the span of just two years (1987–1988), 224 bombing attacks were reported.<ref>Il codice barbaricino – Paola Sirigu, Davide Zedda Editore, p. 225</ref>

In 1983, for the first time ever a militant of a [[Sardinian nationalism|nationalist]] party, the [[Sardinian Action Party]] (''Partidu Sardu''-''Partito Sardo d'Azione''), was elected president of the regional parliament. Nevertheless, in the 1980s a number of even more radical pro-[[independence]] movements were born, some even managing to evolve into parties in the 1990s. In 1999, after a long period of Italian assimilation policies in Sardinia, the languages indigenous to the island were eventually recognized as "[[Languages of Italy#Historical linguistic minorities|historical language minorities]]" of the Country, and allowed to formally enjoy co-official status alongside Italian.

[[File:Aeroportoalgheroaho.jpg|thumb|[[Low-cost carrier]]s frequent [[Fertilia Airport]], resulting in major economic impact for Sardinia.]]
Also noticeable is the difference between coastal regions and the inland. Coastal regions have always been more open to outside influences. Nowadays Sardinia is most known for its coasts (La Maddalena, Costa Smeralda), the north-western coast near Sassari (Alghero, Stintino, Castelsardo) and Cagliari, because these are easily reachable by ship and by plane.

Today Sardinia is a phasing-in [[European Union|EU]] region, featured by a diversified economy, mainly focused on tourism and the tertiary. The economic efforts of last twenty years have reduced the supposed handicap of insularity, for example with low cost air companies and information and informatic technologies, thanks to the [[CRS4]] (Center for Advanced Studies, Research and Development in Sardinia). The CRS4 developed the first Italian [[website]], and invented the [[webmail]], in 1995, that brought to the birth of several [[telecommunication companies]] and [[internet service providers]] based on the island, such as [[Video On Line]] (1993), [[Tiscali]] (1998) and [[Andala UMTS]] (1999).