Anarchy & Socialism- 1880-90s (Years of dicontent and unrest) Flashcards
1880s and 1990s saw an
increase in violence
An increasing no. of people became convinced that the solution to their problems lay in the views of…
1) Mikhail Bakunin
2) Karl Marx
Mikhail Bakunin
- anarchist
- believed in absolute freedom of the individual
- the overthrowing of state was necessary to achieve such freedom.
Karl Marx
- socialist
- believed in the inevitability of a class struggle in order to overthrow the capitalist system.
When was Umberto I assassinated?
July 1900
What was U1 referred to as?
“The Good King”
What did U1 do as king?
- supported free elementary education
- wanted to widen suffrage
- made Italy first country to abolish capital punishment
Who did U1 personally decorate?
General Bava-Becarris
INFLAMED anti-monarchists
Sparked his assassination.
Who was U1 assassinated by?
Gateano Bresci
to avenge the victims of Milan
Who was U1 succeeded by?
His son, VE3.
Who were the 2 prominent Italian anarchist revolutionaries?
1) Errico Malatesta
2) Anna Kuliscioff
Errico Malatesta
- set up socialist newspaper, La Questione Sociale
- associate of Bakunin.
Anna Kuliscioff
- worked on Avanti!
- arrested for being involved in the 1898 Milan Bread Riots
- 1911: formed the Socialist Committee for Female Suffrage
- opposed Fascism
- Blackshirts trashed her funeral in 1925
What did Kuliscioff call BM?
a “scoundrel dressed like a gentleman”
When were the Milan Bread Riots?
May 1898
How did the MBRs start?
price of bread rose
anti govt feeling reached its zenith when demos & riots took place in the streets of Milan.
got out of hand- clashes between the demos and police.
Military units were sent to Milan under which general?
General Bava- Beccaris
What tactics did Gen. Bava-Beccaris use?
- ordered his troops to fire on open crowds
- even cannons were used
How many civilians were killed by Bava-Beccaris’ troops in the MBRs?
80
450 injured.
What was later claimed about the POs in the MBRs?
(1) Inadequate numbers of POs to deal w/ incident was due to them being dispatched to deal w/ troubles elsewhere.
(2) If better trained troops had been used there would have been fewer casualties.
What caused a massive public outcry w/ regard to the MBRs?
General Bava-Beccaris’ methods
Public disdain intensified when U1 gave him the GRAND CROSS OF THE ORDER OF SAVOY for his services to the country.
When did Crispi’s govt resign?
July 1898
Who was Crispi replaced with?
General Pelloux
What cabinet did Gen. Pelloux have?
a “Cabinet of Generals”
What was Gen. Pelloux’s tenure like?
started off CONCILIATORY but pressure from MCs forced him to be MORE REACTIONARY.
What law did Gen. Pelloux try to introduced which the CoD refused to pass?
a new law which empowered govt to BAN any organisation whose activities were considered a threat to national security.
CoD refused to pass it- forced Pelloux to call an election- didn’t work in his favour as he still had no allies.
When and why did Gen Pelloux resign?`
1900
Because his attempt to run Italy along military authoritarian style had FAILED.
What did the activities of both socialists and anarchists involve?
terror
When was the first assassination attempt on U1?
1878
When were there bomb outrages in Florence and Pisa?
1880
What was the situation inflamed by?
- Increasing evidence of corruption in the UCs
- the failure of the govt
What happened in 1894?
riots in Italy
How many troops did Crispi send in to deal with the 1894 riots?
400k troops (EXTREME FORCE)
What did Crispi’s extreme force in dealing with the 1894 riots drive the peasants to do?
- to take more extreme action.
- workers rioted in the Carrara district
- bombs thrown in Rome
- someone tried to assassinate Crispi
How did Crispi react to the uproar against his extreme methods in dealing with the 1894 riots?
Banned all socialist workers’ organisations
BACKFIRED
Public sympathy grew for their cause as he created martyrs.
What did the Latifundia & MCs urge Crispi’s govt to do?
Adopt a stronger line against the Socialists.
U1 attempted a more conciliatory approach- used his powers to reduce the sentences.
What year was there…
(1) riots in Rome
(2) another attempt on U1’s life
1891
What year was there a poor harvest?
1898
What exacerbated the country’s danger of edging towards a collapse in L&O?
1898 poor harvest
What was the impact of the poor harvest in 1898?
- widespread rioting in Romagna & Tuscany
- increased S’s plight
- uprisings in Apulia in the S- Gen. Pelloux puts it down w/o any excessive, harsh force.
What was Socialism’s problem?
- From the start it was broad based but fragmented & liable to break up into small splinter groups.
- Italian socialists depended on the support of the industrial proletariat & WC associations- PROBLEM: Only 4M out of 25M were employed in industry
How many were employed in industry?
4M out of 25M
Why were TUs slow to develop?
there was little collaboration between different groups of workers.
What was the total membership of workers associations?
250k
Who were the radical leaders in Italian Socialism?
- Turati
- Labriola
- Cavallotti
~tended to be men of thoughts rather than action.
~were moderates- wished to infiltrate parlt to bring around social reform.
~had to deal w/ extremists such as syndicalists.
When was the Chamber of Labour set up?
1891
Was the first regional workers’ organisation
When was the Italian Workers’ Party set up?
1892
What were the different strands in the campaign to establish an Italian Socialist Party?
(1) PRAMPOLINI: wanted a Christian type of Socialism.
(2) TURATI: MC lawyer, favoured moderate change w/o violence.
(3) ANDREA COSTA: led the Revolutionary Socialist Party
When and who was the first socialist dep elected to the CoD?
1882
ANDREA COSTA
Who was the leading campaigner for women’s rights in the Socialist movement?
Anna Kuliscioff
What year was the PSI formed?
1895
What % of the vote did the PSI have in 1913?
20%
What did the PSI want?
~franchise for ALL men & women ~religious equality ~OAP ~FSM ~8hr working day ~sought to pay CoD to reduce bribery.
