There are a quarter fewer high-school graduates in Italy compared with 4  the European average: 60 per cent of the population in the 25-64 age bracket, against 80 per cent.
However, all this was done without compromising the core validity of its founding principles. While reforming the monetary system proved impossible – and the Bretton Woods monetary system collapsed irreversibly in 1971 – reform of international trade was nevertheless achievable, shown by the creation of the WTO at the Uruguay Round.