A hunded years ago

 The unintelligent man says: "We are too many." Intelligent men reply: "We are too few!". I affirm that the most fundamental if not essential element in the political power and therefore economic and moral power of Nations, is their demographic strength.

Let us speak frankly: What are 40 million Italians compared to 90 million Germans and 200 million Slavs? Let us turn to the West: what are 40 million Italians compared to 40 million Frenchmen, in addition to 90 million colonial inhabitants, or compared to 46 million Englishmen, in addition to the 450 million colonials? Gentlemen, if Italy is to count for anything in the world, then she must reach a population of no less than 60 million inhabitants by the middle of this century.

You may say: How will they live in this territory? The same reasoning was very likely brought forward in 1815, when there were only 16 million Italians living in Italy. Perhaps at that time it was also thought impossible that in the same territory one would be able to find — on an infinitely higher standard of living — food and lodging for the 40 million Italians of today.

For five years we have been going about saying that the Italian population is overflowing. It is not true! The river no longer overflows; rapidly enough it is returning to its channel. All nations and all empires have felt the bite of their decadence when they have seen their birth rates decline. What was the Pax Romana of Augustus? The Pax Romana of Augustus was a brilliant facade, behind which lay the already-fermenting signs of decline. And throughout the last century of the Second Republic ⁠— from Julius Caesar, who sent his legionaries with three sons to the fertile lands of the South, to the laws of Augustus, to the ordines maritandi ⁠— the anguish is evident. The whole history of Rome up to Trajan, in the last century of the Republic and from the first to the third century of the Empire, is dominated by this anguish: the Empire was no longer held, because it had to be defended by mercenaries.

From Benito Mussolini. Pic.: Giorgia Meloni, Italy's current president.

The Paz Romana started when Augustus stopped the expansion of the Roman Empire and focused on fortifying the borders, which were defended by mercenaries (not Roman citizens). It was mandated by the lack of Romans.