The end of World War I brought with it the need to liquidate the large quantities of munitions that were stored in warehouses or on the front. The objective was twofold: to retrieve their value and, at the same time, encourage a return to industrial production. Between 1918 and 1922, these important tasks were entrusted to a series of institutions whose activities became the object of inquiry on the part of the Commissione parlamentare d’inchiesta sulle spese di guerra, established in 1920 to investigate war expenses. Drawing on the papers of the Commissione, this article examines the organizational chart and the work of the most important agencies involved in the alienation process and identifies for each its main peculiarities and operational deficiencies. By doing so, it contributes to a better understanding of the economic policies taking place in the post-World War I period.
Keywords: Munitions dumps, postwar period, economy, Commissione parlamentare d’inchiesta sulle spese di guerra