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