Challenges to the liberal state

Question 1

Describe some of the problems experienced by Italy’s government.

Answer 1

• campaign of Austria was sustained through foreign loans, and the printing of more money - country suffering debt and inflation
• tension in the south as the returning conscripts wanted land reform that they were promised

Question 2

Why was there growing divide between the returning soldiers and the workers?

Answer 2

To the soldiers these workers were simply cowards and shirkers who had stayed behind and got wealthier whist the soldiers were on the front line

Question 3

What did Vittorio Orlando argue at the Paris peace conference in versailles?

Answer 3

• argued that Italy should be given all the territory it had been promised in the 1915 treaty of versailles
• and the port of Fiume

Question 4

What were the responses of the leaders at the conference?

Answer 4

• they rejected italy’s claim on fiume and also aspects of the treaty of London
• asserted that Italy’s contribution did not justify the claims

Question 5

What did Orlando claim would happen if he was not able to acquire the land?

Answer 5

• mass protests
• if said he would face assassination if he could not secure Dalmatia for Italy

Question 6

When did Orlando decide to walk out and what did this result in?

Answer 6

• April 1919
• in his absence Britain and France took Germany’s African colonies for themselves with no consideration of Italy’s demands

Question 7

When was Orlando forced to resign?

Answer 7

June 1919

Question 8

What was the failure to acquire fiume and Germany’s colonial territories in africa called?

Answer 8

• mutilated victory

Question 9

Who was Orlando’s replacement?

Answer 9

nitti

Question 10

What did nitti choose to do?

Answer 10

• chose to play down Italy’s claims so as not to jeopardise Italy’s relationship with Britain and France
• allowed the newly formed Yugoslavia take Dalmatia and fiume to be deemed as a neutral city
• reduced the military spending and used an amnesty to those soldiers who had deserted

Question 11

What was the responses to nitti’s actions?

Answer 11

• actions drew considerable anger and disgust from the nationalists and military who condemned nitti as a coward

Question 12

Who was d’annunzio and what did he claim?

Answer 12

• prominent right wing leader
• believed that only war could rejuvenate Italy and help it reclaim its glorious past –> believed that the liberal gov failed to do so

Question 13

What did d’annunzio do on the 12th sep 1919?

Answer 13

• with 2000 men made up of ex-soldiers, futurists and students he seized the port of fiume
• the Italian government failed to act for 15 months and he was then removed on Christmas Day

Question 14

What message did the occupation of fiume spread?

Answer 14

• the frailities of the Italian government
• the success that can be achieved through violence and decisive action
• liberal government had been weak to accept the treaty of Versailles

Question 15

What were some of the problems that the economy was suffering?

Answer 15

• millions of soldiers demobilised - flooding the job market
• nov 1919: unemployment had reached 2 million
• inflation was at a high level and the lira collapsed in value

Question 16

What was the state of major companies after the war?

Answer 16

• fiat, Ansaldo, ilva struggled to stay afloat
• two major munitions ansaldo and ilva collapsed in 1921 causing a banking crisis as ansaldo was tied to one of the major banks banco di sconto

Question 17

What was the period of 1919-20 called?

Answer 17

biennio rosso

Question 18

Describe biennio rosso?

Answer 18

• due to the release of anarchists and socialist radicals who had been jailed
• campaign calling for greater worker rights and possible revolution
• italy was rocked for major strikes, factory occupations and violent riots

Question 19

What did the membership of the socialist unions grow from what to what?

Answer 19

• 250,000 in 1918 to 2 million by 1920

Question 20

Describe the strikes in italy.

Answer 20

• 1919: rising food prices had caused riots in northern and central italy
• railways strikes in jan 1920
• telegraph worker strikes in April and sep
• army troops strike in July –> more worrying

Question 21

When did the largest strike take place?

Answer 21

in sep 1920 with over 400,000 workers

Question 22

What was the state of the countryside?

Answer 22

• gov had made sweeping reforms to the peasants that had fought in the Wwi
• some land had been made available but it was not enough to satisfy the numbers –> peasants seized land from the owners
• rural socialist unions were particularly strong in these areas where they controlled the employment of rural labourers - carrying out violent attacks on those workers and farm owners who refused to join

Question 23

For the elections of 1919 the number of people allowed to vote increased to 11 million what law was introduced?

Answer 23

• a new law that all Italians who had served at the front and any other male over 21 could now participate in elections

Question 24

When did the catholic political party form? and what was it?

Answer 24

• 1919
• not officially affiliated with the Vatican
• did not mention the ‘roman question’ in its manifesto

Question 25

What did the catholic party support?

Answer 25

• supporter of the land reforms and campaigned for more farming areas to be made available for the peasants

Question 26

Describe the growth of the socialist party?
What did the socialist party support?

Answer 26

• revolution in Russia had encouraged the psi in a more radical direction and the party refused to work with the liberals
• supported strikes, factory occupations

Question 27

What percent of the votes did psi win and how many seats?

Answer 27

35%
156

Question 28

Why did the old liberals stay in power and what did this make the Italians realise

Answer 28

despite the development of the ppi and the psi party neither had a majority
- made the Italians question whether a more radical political system was a better chose as these elections showed the failure of democracy