1-Liberal Weaknesses

Question 1

How did Italy become a unified country?

Answer 1

The Enlightenment; developed from the scientific revolution of the 17th century, with figures like Isaac Newton. Its was characterised by the questioning of the old accepted authorities and aimed to address problems in order to create a better society.

Question 2

What problems did the enlightenment address?

Answer 2

-Political representation
-Natural rights of man
-What limits should be placed on rulers
-What is religion and should limits be placed on it
-How do we create a society beneficial to everyone

Question 3

What is Risorgimento?

Answer 3

Resurgence, rebirth. Another name for the unification of Italy

Question 4

What was the role of piedmont in the unification of Italy?

Answer 4

After striking an alliance with Napoleon III’s France, Piedmont-Sardinia provoked Austria to declare war in 1859, thus launching the conflict that served to unify the northern Italian states together against their common enemy: the Austrian Army.

Question 5

What was the legacy of the unification of Italy?

Answer 5

-After Italian unification (1861), the process of political unification was complete by 1870.
-Italy was described as reactionary
-Tied to broader movement across Europe toward liberalism, nationalism, democracy.

Question 6

What were the aims of the liberals?

Answer 6

-Only 2% of the population had the vote; politics dominated by representatives of the middle + upper class, overwhelmingly liberal. They saw themselves as an educated elite who’d lead Italy forward to national unity, economic prosperity and great power

Question 7

What were the divisions between the North and South of Italy?

Answer 7

North= industrial, prosperous, active, and progressive. Political education beginning to develop, interest in social and political questions. Made great advances in wealth, trade and education.
South= almost exclusively agricultural and miserably poor. Apathetic in political interest. Almost stationary in advances

Question 8

What was the political system like?

Answer 8

-Deep differences between republicans & monarchists, revolutionaries & moderates, catholics & anti-clerical liberals, northerners & southerners.
-Liberal Italy post 1870 didn’t satisfy hopes + expectations of Italians.
-Democratic and republican idealists felt that their ideals had been hijacked by north-western Piedmont kingdom, led by cunning and manipulative Count Cavour.
-Northern elites dominate
-Southerners had little loyalty to political system
-Power after 1870 almost permanently in hands of narrow liberal oligarchy on behalf of elites

Question 9

Who are the two main political figures + their challenges?

Answer 9

‘Crispi era’-1887-1891, 1893-1896
Giolitti- PM five times between 1892-1921
Both had same oligarchy and growing challenges like rise of socialism + trade union power due to industrialisation . WW1 intensifies these but by 1919 old oligarchy still pulled government strings

Question 10

What was ‘Giolittianism’ and opposition to it?

Answer 10

Giolitti and liberal rule + policies. Many Italians felt it didn’t represent their interests. Socialist + trade unionists objected favouritism to businessmen/industrialists. Peasants in the south felt neglected and marginalised. Republican idealists felt cheated and left down as unification only went halfway. Catholic Church deeply hostile to anti-clericalism of state. After WW1, new parties started challenging existing ruling class

Question 11

How was lack of Italian identity a problem faced by Liberal Italy?

Answer 11

There was a very small population of Italians that played a role in the unification. Loyalties tended to immediate family, not the nation. Only 2% of the population actually spoke Italian and it was mostly dialects. Italian was Tuscany’s dialect. Rather than Italian, the public viewed themselves as Piedmontese or Sicilian

Question 12

How was hostility of the Catholic Church a problem faced by Liberal Italy?

Answer 12

The Pope was resentful of the kingdom of Italy, as they seized Papal States and Rome from Church. He instructed loyal Catholics to boycott elections and refused to recognise the Italian state.

Question 13

How was economic weakness a problem faced by Liberal Italy?

Answer 13

Italy was predominantly an agricultural country (68% of country was dependent on land). Most peasants in South lived in poverty and industry was relatively undeveloped.

Question 14

How was weaknesses of the political system a problem facing Liberal Italy?

Answer 14

Was similar to British system but there was no clearly defined political party/2 party system. Poorer had no vote and and rich politicians didn’t represent big part of society
MPs caused factions /ally ships which caused governments to fall. There were many MPs over small time period (29 over 52 years)

Question 15

How was socialism a problem facing liberal Italy?

Answer 15

Feared by Catholics. There was an increase in industry & working class , socialism.
Italian Workers Congress (1891) organised by Filipo Turali
2 groups- striking & conditions
1900- 200,000 votes

Question 16

How was Catholicism a problem facing liberal Italy?

Answer 16

Focused on hostility—> Liberal regime in 1st decade after unification. By 1890s, they turned to socialism.
To Catholics, they were direct competition to the peoples minds as they sometimes rejected religion + challenged social orders. Catholics were then encouraged to run as candidates and removed ban on voting- still ban on Catholic Party.

Question 17

How was nationalism a problem facing liberal Italy?

Answer 17

Mainly middle classes, supported by media.
Accused liberals of putting career before interest of people, and their regime holding people back
Wanted more spending on military, loved the empire
Had aggressive foreign policy and roots in fascism.

Question 18

Why was Francesco Crispi forced to resign as PM in 1896?

Answer 18

After the defeat in the Battle of Adwa (Ethiopia)

Question 19

Why was Italy struggling after the defeat at Adwa?

Answer 19

Peace was made with Ethiopia but in Italy, repression was maintained, even increased.
Gov viewed dissent as subversion & concession as weakness

Question 20

Why were street demonstrations happening in 1898?

Answer 20

-Poor harvest of 1897+ high taxes on imported wheat =↑ food price
-Street demonstrations against high prices & shortages started in the South, early 1898. April → spread to rest of country.

Question 21

Why and how was repression occurring in Italy in the 1890s?

Answer 21

-Attempt to arrest socialist newspaper seller led to widespread rioting
-Authorities thought they uncovered a socialist conspiracy → army bought in to suppress riots, up to 200 people killed.
-Martial law declared in 4 provinces, all suspected subversives arrested, press heavily censored. Thousands jailed.

Question 22

What was the issue with repression and why did liberals move away from it?

Answer 22

-Repression worked in that it silenced protesters but the problem wasn’t solved
-Opposition didn’t disappear but went underground
-Methods used by authorities only increased public disaffection
-Liberals saw repression wasn’t a viable long-term policy, by beginning of 20th century voices of moderation were starting to be heard

Question 23

Which political figure was advocating for an approach different to repression and why?

Answer 23

Giovanni Giolitti - most persuasive advocate of a new approach
Was convinced liberals had made the mistake of ignoring the plight of ordinary Italians. He considered the troubles of the 1890s had been partly of the liberals own making.

Question 24

What was the proposed alternative to repression?

Answer 24

-Demonstrate the gov could be sympathetic to demands of labour.
-Should no longer be seen as the enemy of the urban worker/rural poor.
-Moderate socialists encouraged to play constructive role in gov

Question 25

What social reforms did Giolitti introduce as minister in 1901-03 and PM in 1903-14?

Answer 25

-Passes laws forcing employers to grant one rest day a week, outlawed employment of children under 12
-Gov expenditure on public works increased; x2 from 1900-07 on improving roads, farming, quality of drinking water in S
-Taxes on food reduced
-Drugs treating malaria supplied free of charge

Question 26

What was Giolitti’s most controversial policy and what did it involve?

Answer 26

-Issue of labour disputes.
-Lib gov recognised workers had right to strike but often viewed them as revolutionary mobs to be dispersed by police- particular in a case in the 1890s
-Giolitti was determined to stay neutral in disputes between employer/employee; thought only then would workers support Libs.
-Most vividly seen in General Strike, 1904 by left-wing unionists

Question 27

What happened during the general strike + what were its consequences?

Answer 27

-Called by the left-wig unionists, received widespread support from N cities
-Gov kept its nerve, refused to crush strikers
-After a few days, the disorganised & uncoordinated strike collapse
-The defeat discredited extremists on the left, but informed employers they could no longer rely on authorities to intimidate employees to go back to work
-Giolitti believed employers should be prepared to negotiate with employees

Question 28

How did the government improve relations between the 2 sides of industry + was this effective?

Answer 28

-Encouraged emerged of arbitrators- independent officials, who listened to arguments of both employer and employees, then recommended a compromise
-Employers began to become more conciliatory
-Workers couldn’t be sacked without good reason or going on strike

Question 29

How did Giolitti generate support from both Socialists and Catholics?

Answer 29

-Many moderate socialists supported Giolitti’s labour policy, particularly those in the chamber of deputies
-Socialist MPs were prepared to support Giolitti’s gov, effectively became a part of his coalition
-The PM also wanted to work with/ Catholics who feared socialism + favoured limited social reform; encouraged by his willingness to drop a law granting divorce
-Catholics began to cast vote for Libs willing to stand up for Catholic interests, e.g Church schools.
-In local politics, Catholics often voted for sympathetic libs/ran themselves

Question 30

What was Giolitti’s policy of trasformismo & how did it succeed then fall apart?

Answer 30

-Coalition where former political opponents temporarily work together
-Socialists & Catholics no longer seemed to be such subversive outcast from Lib Italy
-But, Giolitti’s coalition was very fragile & to be destroyed by the consequences of colonial war + universal suffrage introduction

Question 31

What were the causes of the 1911 Libyan War?

Answer 31

-Giolitti hoped to build an Italian colony and take from the Turkish Empire - Italy had ambitions in N Africa since the 1880s since France seized Tunis.
-1911- France consolidating control in Morocco/Algeria, Italy fears it may turn attention on Libya
-Public opinion, influenced by Nationalists and the press, wouldn’t stand for another humiliation & demanded intervention; Giolitti bows to pressure

Question 32

What was the outcome of the Libyan War?

Answer 32

-Relatively successful, esp compared to 1896 Ethiopia campaign
-Major Libyan ports + towns taken over within 3 weeks, Turkey formally concede territory to Italy Oct 1912
-Italian forces still harried by Arab guerrilla groups, but venture appeared a success for Lib gov

Question 33

Why did trasformismo begin to fall apart after the Libyan War?

Answer 33

-Alliance between moderate socialists and Giolittian Libs collapsed; Socialist Party condemned war. -Moderate socialists lost dominant position in party & revolutionary socialists were ascending- e.g Mussolini in Avanti, calling for abolition of private property & called for violent strikes
-This appalled more conservative Italians, who blamed Giolitti’s conciliatory stance on labour- calling it weakness and giving way to extremism
-Nationalist despise manoeuvrings in parliament, influence many industrialists, landowners,etc.

Question 34

What was the pact made by Giolitti and Catholic leaders + its consequences?

Answer 34

-Leader of moderate Catholics had agreed w/ Giolitti that Liberal candidates promising policies in line w/ Catholic ideologies (Church schools,divorce,etc) would receive Catholic votes.
-228 Lib candidates signed a declaration to ensure their seats. This means the Liberals were dependent on votes of Catholic groups
- In 1914, Anti-clerical Radicals found out about the pact & withdrew their support from Giolitti’s coalition. Giolitti resigns

Question 35

TBC page 16/23