1) The Weakness of Liberal Italy Flashcards
What year did Italian troops seize Rome?
1870
What year did Garibaldi invade Sicily and the South with his “Red Shirts”
1859
Why did France vacate Rome in 1870, and what opportunity did this present for the Italian troops?
To fight in the Franco-Prussian war, allowed Italian troops to just walk in and take Rome
Liberal oligarchy
A regime controlled by a relatively small group of Liberal politicians, who form a wealthy, educated elite
What percentage of the population actually spoke Italian by the end of the Risorgimento?
2%
When was the ban lifted that caused “loyal” Catholics to boycott all elections?
1890s
What percentage of the population were agricultural labourers or depended on the land?
68%
Trasformismo
Coalitions and deals made often through corruption with a lack of regard for ideology
How many Prime Ministers did Italy have between 1870 and 1922?
29 Prime Ministers
How much money did the Banca Romana print for its own use?
60 million lire
How much money did Crispi and Giolotti receive from the Banca Romana
Crispi- 55,000 lire
Giolotti- 60,000 lire
What was the average income of an Italian person during Liberal Italy?
Under 2000 lire
In what year was there a workers strike in the South (Sicily) demanding for higher wages and lower rents? And how did Crispi’s government respond?
- The worker leaders were arrested and Sicily was placed under military rule- 40,000 government troops were despatched to restore order. Opposition parties were banned throughout the whole of Italy and newspapers were censored, to prevent disorder from spreading throughout the whole of Italy
When did Italy invade and take Eritrea?
1890
When was the Italian failure at the Battle of Adowa in Abyssinia?
March 1896
How many Italian soldiers died in the Battle of Adowa?
5000
Why did Crispi fall out of power?
After the humiliation of the Battle of Adowa
When was the franchise increased during the 1880s? And by how much was the franchise increased?
1881- 2 million more men
When was the first attempt at creating an Italian Socialist Party, and by who?
1891- the Italian Workers’ Congress in Milan by Filippo Turati
When and how did the Socialist movement split?
At the Genoa Congress of 1892. It split into two groups- 1) revolutionary strikes + refused to take part in elections 2) workers’ control of the state demand better pay and conditions from employers and get involved in national politics
When did the PSI form? and who did it form from?
1895- the moderate group including Turati
How many members did the PSI have by 1897?
27,000
How many votes did the PSI receive in the election of 1900? And how many seats did they receive in the Chamber of Deputies?
200,000 and received 32 seats
What were the demands of the PSI in their manifesto by 1900?
Universal male suffrage, 8 hour working day, income tax and women’s rights
When and why were Catholics permitted to stand in elections?
1909 to stand against the Socialists
Describe Giolitti’s social reforms
1 day of rest a week, outlawed the employment of children under 12, government expenditure increased on public works doubled from 1900 to 1907, taxes reduced on food, better quality drinking water for the South
What was Giolitti’s attitude to strikes and worker disputes?
The state should remain neutral
Why did Giolitti believe that the state should remain neutral during worker disputes and strikes?
To gain votes from the working class
Describe the worker disruption of 1904 and what Giolitti’s response was
General strike called by left-wing unions in the North
Government refused to crush the strikers and after a few days the strike collapsed due to lack of organisation
What was the reaction to the Government’s lack of intervention during the scenario of 1904?
Employers could no longer depend on authorities, discredited extremists
When did Italy invade Libya?
September 1911
When, why by how much did Giolitti increase the suffrage?
1912, to reward the soldiers who’s returned from Libya, 3 million to 8.5 million men (all literate men over 21 and all men over 30)
How many seats was in the Italian Chamber of Deputies?
511
How did the Liberals make a deal with the Catholics in the 1913 general election?
Liberal candidates that had promised opposition to divorce, Church schools, and favour religious orders would receive Catholic votes- 228 Liberals signed a declaration supporting this.
How had the national income risen from 1895 to 1915?
61 billion lire in 1895 to 92 billion lire in 1915
How many Italians had chosen to emigrate to the USA or South America between 1871-1915?
5 million
What percentage of the population owned what proportion of the land in Sicily
0.01% owned 50% of the land
By 1900 what fraction of men had the vote?
1/15 men
What was the aim of many nationalists?
Regaining Irredenta
Senate
Members were appointed for life by the King- patronage
When was the railway nationalised?
1905
How did the state play a part in industrial development in the North?
Put pressure on the banks to provide money for hydroelectricity, and other electrical companies, state subsidies for important industries such as ship building, tariffs on foreign imports
What was the Catholic- Liberal Pact of 1913 called?
The Gentiloni Pact
The Roman Question
The issue between the church and state due to the refusal of the church to recognise the Liberal government as a legitimate power
Who was the Piedmont King and Prime Minister during the Risorgimento?
Victor Emmanuel and Count Cavour
D’Azeglio quote (statesman and writer)
“Now we have made Italy, it is necessary for us to make Italians”
Mezzorgimo
The baron South- can’t grow things, 87% of people are illiterate
Cosa Nostra
Mafia and high crime rates in the South
When were the corn laws in the South introduced, what were they called, and what was their impact?
1868- The Grist Tax- led to further standards of living- increased price of bread= more starvation
Major industrial cities in the North, and main river
Industrial cities- Milan, Turin, Genoa, Lombardy
Administrative capita- Rome, Venice
River Po
What was the illiteracy rate in the South?
87%
Difference in illiteracy rates between 1871-1911
1871- 70%
1911- 40%
When and what was the Daneo-Credaro Law?
1911- set up School Councils
When and what was the Law of Guarantees?
1871- gave the Crown a veto over appointment of Bishops
Which Pope banned Catholics from voting in elections?
Pope Leo XIII
When and what was the Syllabus of Errors?
1864, issued by Pope Pius IX- the Church denied validity of the new Italian State
What year did Prime Minister Crispi reform Italy’s welfare system to exclude the Church?
1890
Non-expedit
If Catholics voted they would be excommunicated- Issued by Pius IX
How did the state stub the church?
Couples must have a civil marriage that is recognised by the state, and they could deal with divorces
How did the Liberals reform education?
1877 Coppino Act- aimed to make education compulsory for children aged 6-9
What were the failures of the Coppino Act?
Lack of teachers and facilities
What was the difference in calories the average Italian ate between 1901 and 1911?
1901- 2,665
1911- 2,717
How much did wages increase between 1901-1911?
25%
When and what was Red Week?
1914- Riots over Giolitti’s previous reforms and the execution of 3 anti-militarist men in June
Where and when were the bread riots?
Milan 1898
Which Prime Ministers resigned because they were unable to deal with the bread riots?
Di Rudini and General Pelloux
When did Italy try to take Tunisia, and when did it fail?
1881- Italy wanted to take Tunisia but France storms in with the Treaty of Bardo
Grandezza
The Italian dream of colonising countries for an increased amount of raw materials
How many Italian speakers were in Trentino?
370,000
When was the Popolari founded?
1919
