2: Post War 1918-1920 Flashcards
How did Italy feel they’d suffered a ‘mutilated victory’?
Italians felt betrayed by the terms of the ToV as they received no colonies in Africa or the Irredente or Fiume. They did not receive everything that they were promised in the Treaty of London
What were some key points of the Mutilated Victory?
- Italy gained Trentino, Trieste, Istria, the Brenner
- They weren’t given all they were promised in the Treaty of London especially Fiume
- Did not receive any African colonies and felt betrayed by its allies
What did many socialists think about the Mutilated Victory?
That it was just an idea made up by the army who put the blame on the government. Also they were dealing with other problems at the time and so higher classes conned lower classes and turned the workers into nationalists
What happened at the Occupation of Fiume?
It was a port city Italy was not granted in the ToV despite being promised in the Treaty of London. D’Annunzio and his supporters occupied Fiume and turned it into a ‘free state’. Eventually a naval bombardment defeated D’Annunzio and he and his supporters fled. Giolittis Government was seen as anti-patriotic for not helping.
What was the impact of the occupation of Fiume?
It was the framework for a facist movement and led to growing support for facism in the early 1920’s
How much debt was Italy in by 1918?
85 billion lire
Summarise the post war economic crisis
- National debt rose a lot
- Businesses who relies on the military struggles to survive
- Inflation had a huge impact on the cost of living, value of wages fell
- Became a free market economy to try reduce debt but instead made companies bankrupt and imported more goods
- Unemployment reaches 2 million in November 1919 and people turned to political extremes
How did post war affect the people in rural areas?
- Wartime inflation meant peasants sold food for a lot of money
- 3.5 million peasants owned their own land
- Soldiers occupies land
- Farm labourers came under control of Labour Leagues and trade unions so tried to create collective farms
- Giolitti ordered prefects to legalise land confiscations but they feared militant peasants and socialist influenced trade unionists
How did post war affect industrialists?
Feared a loss of political power and influence as well as a takeover of Italy by a growing socialist movement. Resented success of socialist parties in gaining power, amplified a ‘Red threat’. Many strikes, over 1 million workers went on strike in 1919
How did post war affect middle classes and petty bourgeoisie?
- Giolitti betrayed their interests
- Suffered economically, savings lost and had to form associations to represent them
- The self employed didn’t have trade unions to protect them
- Taxes were raised
How was the Biennio Rosso serious?
- Violent clashes between Fascists and Socialists with over 2000 deaths 1919-1922
- Socialists controlled 1/2 of all municipal governments in Italy
- Socialist membership passed 200,000
- Socialists has support from trade unions
- 400,000 workers took over their factories
Why wasn’t the Biennio Rosso a serious threat?
- Decline In strikes after 1920
- National Strike In August 1922 was a failure and only lasted 1 day
- Little co-ordination of the movement
- Left wing leaders argued amongst themselves
- Wages went up
How did the Biennio Rosso weaken the Liberal Government?
- PCI (Communist Party) began and agitated for revolution
* Strikes meant less work so suffered economically
How did Nittis political reforms in 1919 change the political landscape?
Supported proportional representation, wanted to weaken extremist parties but it backfired.
Universal male suffrage (Orlando introduced this) in 1918
Explain the growth of the socialist and Catholic parties
Adoption of universal male suffrage and proportional representation helped as many were either workers or religious.
