 Examples were the development of the steel industry and the telephone network and the construction of the Autostrada del Sole, which began in 1956.The Italian economy grew rapidly in the 1960s, the IRI was one of the protagonists of the "Italian economic miracle".Other European countries, particularly the British Labour government, saw the "IRI formula" as a positive example of state intervention in the economy, better than the simple "nationalization" because it allowed for cooperation between public and private capital.