Page 214 - Panjek, Aleksander, Jesper Larsson and Luca Mocarelli, eds. 2017. Integrated Peasant Economy in a Comparative Perspective: Alps, Scandinavia and Beyond. Koper: University of Primorska Press
P. 214
integr ated peasant economy in a compar ative perspective
Graph 9.2: Population of the Trieste Karst villages 1778–1910 (conscription and census
data)
The further discussion is not hypothetical anymore, it is based on real
data, until 1846 on those of the conscriptions, from 1869 onwards on mod-
ern censuses. In the last three decades of the 18th century the average birth
number steadily increased, rising almost 60% (from 103.8 to 161.6). Howev-
er, this trend did not translate into a comparable population growth. The
population rise was only of 11% or an average annual growth of 4.6 per mil.
The causes of this discrepancy are to be searched for in the troubling
events and negative factors that occurred at the end of the century. From
1789 to 1800 (for this period aggregated vital statistics for the municipality
are available) the deaths surpassed the births by 16%. In 1791 and 1799 only
the natural increase was positive. The mortality peaks occurred in 1794,
1796 and especially in 1800, when the surplus of deaths amounted to 50%.
In this decade Trieste witnessed a very troubled phase. In the first half the
city suffered because of the war between Austria and France, in the second
because of the French occupation. The mortality increase was nevertheless
especially due to smallpox, which reached its peaks in 1789, 1792, 1796 and
1800. In the last two years they provoked respectively 485 and 439 deaths,
while in the time span 1789–1800 the illness took away 1404 lives.
What about the karstic district? Specific birth and death data refer-
ring to the whole area is not available for the 1790s. Anyway, the vital sta-
tistics of one of its church administration districts show that the mortali-
ty had not such a negative influence on the natural rates as in the city. The
212
Graph 9.2: Population of the Trieste Karst villages 1778–1910 (conscription and census
data)
The further discussion is not hypothetical anymore, it is based on real
data, until 1846 on those of the conscriptions, from 1869 onwards on mod-
ern censuses. In the last three decades of the 18th century the average birth
number steadily increased, rising almost 60% (from 103.8 to 161.6). Howev-
er, this trend did not translate into a comparable population growth. The
population rise was only of 11% or an average annual growth of 4.6 per mil.
The causes of this discrepancy are to be searched for in the troubling
events and negative factors that occurred at the end of the century. From
1789 to 1800 (for this period aggregated vital statistics for the municipality
are available) the deaths surpassed the births by 16%. In 1791 and 1799 only
the natural increase was positive. The mortality peaks occurred in 1794,
1796 and especially in 1800, when the surplus of deaths amounted to 50%.
In this decade Trieste witnessed a very troubled phase. In the first half the
city suffered because of the war between Austria and France, in the second
because of the French occupation. The mortality increase was nevertheless
especially due to smallpox, which reached its peaks in 1789, 1792, 1796 and
1800. In the last two years they provoked respectively 485 and 439 deaths,
while in the time span 1789–1800 the illness took away 1404 lives.
What about the karstic district? Specific birth and death data refer-
ring to the whole area is not available for the 1790s. Anyway, the vital sta-
tistics of one of its church administration districts show that the mortali-
ty had not such a negative influence on the natural rates as in the city. The
212
