Cantieri navali di Stato ed Economia Regionale. Il caso dell’Arsenale di Brest

The present work aims to analyze the influence of the presence of a large public factory on the regional economy by taking the Brest Arsenal as a case study. It verifies if the flows of raw materials and semi-finished products necessary for shipbuilding have influenced the development of agriculture, and artisan activities at local level. In this context, it highlights the propulsive role of the Arsenal of Brest, but also the limits of a demand strongly linked to the political and military context. The article is structured in three parts. The first one reconstructs the history of the Arsenal of Brest from the constitution to the Revolution. The second analyzes supply management, with particular attention to hemp and its derivative. In conclusion it outlines relationships between the development of the Arsenal, and the regional economy. The work is based on the study of the most significant scientific literature, and on the examination of primary documents mainly taken from the Archives Nationales.