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AQA A-Level History: Italy & Fascism c1900-1945 > Crisis of Liberal Italy 1900-15 (Complete) > Flashcards

Crisis of Liberal Italy 1900-15 (Complete) Flashcards

1
Q

What is the key timeline of these years?

A

1861- formation of independent Italy
1871- Official ‘new Italy’
1904- General Strike
1911 (Sep)- Italy invades Libya
1914 (Jun)- ‘Red Week’
1915 (May)- signing of Treaty of London

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2
Q

Risorgimento; who was Cavour and what was his aim?

A

-Prime minister of Piedmont
-Wanted independent state in Northern & Central Italy, not to include poor south

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3
Q

Risorgimento; Who did Cavour make a deal with and what did this result in?

A

-Napoleon III
-To expel Austria from some Italian-speaking lands
-Italy gained Solferino, Magenta, Lombardy & other states
-Austria kept Venetia

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4
Q

Risorgimento; who was Garibaldi and what did he do?

A

-Radical nationalist
-Popular w/ masses
-Joined peasant revolt in Sicily & Naples

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5
Q

Risorgimento; what were Cavour and Garibaldi’s roles in unification?

A

Cavour took troops to Papal States to link up & Garibaldi handed over his territory

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6
Q

Risorgimento; Who was the King of New Italy?

A

Victor Emmanuel II

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7
Q

Risorgimento; What fight occurred in 1866 and what did this result in?

A

-Italy and Prussia fight Austria
-Venetia handed to Italy
-However, Pope still rules Rome and is protected by French troops

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8
Q

Risorgimento; what event signified complete unification in 1871?

A

-Prussia wins against France, who withdraw from Rome
-Rome becomes capital

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9
Q

Effects of unification; why did the masses not identify with the new state?

A

They were not given the vote; 1871- 2% males could vote, 1882- 25% males, 1912- most adult males

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10
Q

Effects of unification; what caused the 1890s economic depression?

A

-Banca Romana; printed around 60m lire in new notes & lent large sums to leading politicians
-Giolitti had taken approx 60k lire, when avg income of Italian person was around 2000 lire p.a

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11
Q

Effects of unification; what caused the 1897 widespread rioting and what was the result of this?

A

-Poor harvest & high prices of food—> street demonstrations around country
-Socialist newspaper sellers arrested in Milan, led to widespread rioting
-Army was bought in + killed around 200 people
-Opposition simply went underground & the Liberal government lost a lot of support

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12
Q

Effects of unification; why were governments weak?

A

-MPs formed governments by competing for support w/ other deputies, often done via corrupt practices; meaning frequent change as allegiances changed
-Average length of government was 1.8 years
-Unification was dominated by elite so weren’t committed to social reform

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13
Q

Effects of unification; what happened as a result of the poor south not being planned to be included in government?

A

It was neglected

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14
Q

Effects of unification; what did the Pope ensure and why?

A

Ensured Catholics would not be in the new state as he was hostile to it

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15
Q

Effects of unification; what were the results of the large debts built up from unification?

A
  • High taxes imposed
  • No money for social reform
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16
Q

Effects of unification; why did Italy have to rely on Prussia and France and what did this result in?

A

-Had been defeated by Austria in 1866
-Gave Italy a national inferiority complex & desire to prove itself

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17
Q

Effects of unification; what was ‘The Terra Irredenta’ and how did this change?

A

-Literal meaning; “unredeemed land/italy”
-Austria still controlled some Italian lands (irredenta)
-Originally focused on land w/ Italian speaking population in Austrian empire
-Later became term to designate other surrounding foreign territories which Italy believed it had a claim to

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18
Q

Effects of unification; what did the neglect of social reform and growth of the country lead to?

A

Developments of socialism, nationalism, Catholicism

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19
Q

Problems of Liberal Italy- socialism; where and why did socialism develop?

A

-North of Italy
-Due to development in industry, trade unions & organisations

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20
Q

Problems of Liberal Italy- socialism; what was the Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGL) and its aim?

A

-A syndicalist, industrial wing
-Wanted unions to organise strikes & overthrow system

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21
Q

Problems of Liberal Italy- socialism; what was the PSI (Italian Socialist Party) and its aims?

A

-Radical socialist group formed in 1895
-Wanted to achieve total socialist state
-Wanted to fight women’s rights & 8 hour working day

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22
Q

Problems of Liberal Italy- socialism; how influential were the PSI? ( + stats)

A

-Won 20% of pre-WW1 election vote
-Had 27,000 members in 1897
-Ran its own newspaper, Avanti! (‘Forward’)

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23
Q

Problems of Liberal Italy- socialism; why did the socialists not believe in war?

A

Thought it would do nothing but harm the working class, who would be the ones fighting

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24
Q

Problems of Liberal Italy- socialism; how and when was the first decided attempt at a single, united socialist party?

A

-1891; Lawyer named Turati organised Italian Workers’ Congress in Milan

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25
Problems of Liberal Italy- nationalism; who were the nationalists made up of and what was their aim?
-Painters, journalists, poets -Wanted a more vigorous authoritarian state
26
Problems of Liberal Italy- nationalism; who were the Futurists and their aims?
-Group of people against Liberal view; strong supporters of nationalism, wanted to build empire promoting violence, action, conflict -Wanted radical change & war
27
Problems of Liberal Italy- nationalism; what did Crispi want to do to Italy?
Make it a great power
28
Problems of Liberal Italy- nationalism; what was the Triple Alliance?
-Signed in 1882 between Germany, Austria & Italy -Opposed the Triple Entente
29
Problems of Liberal Italy- Catholicism; how did the Pope’s role change after unification?
-Pre-unification pope had control over much of central Italy; Papal States -Post-unification, he was left w/ only control of the Vatican
30
Problems of Liberal Italy- Catholicism; how did the Pope influence politics?
-Ordered Catholics to shun politics & elections; millions obeyed so left whole generation ignorant to politics -Pope banned Catholics from involvement in politics in 1871 -1890s; ban lifted due to socialist threat -1909; Pope permitted Catholics to have full involvement in politics -Always feared a Catholic party as leader could rival his influence
31
North/South divide; what were the problems in the south?
-V poor, 0.1% (Agrari- land owner) owned 50% land (only land suitable for farming so had control over masses (latifundia- large estate often worked on by peasants) -4/5 illiterate -Disease & early death common -People starting to rebel, eg 1894 fasci rioted so badly Sicily put under military siege (40,000 deployed) -Southern trad silk industry wiped out by more efficient North manufacturers -Roads & train lines never put in, in attempt to prevent radical left from spreading to south -Mass deforestation 1800s; malaria crisis
32
North/South divide; to what extent was the north prosperous?
-Had some iron & steel concerns, but development was hindered by lack of coal & iron ore -Appeared prosperous -With industry, came slums -Fighting over wages/working conditions meant parties, eg socialists, grew as did discontent & violence in towns + cities -Fiat exported 4000 cars/yr in 1913 -Hydro-electric dams in Alps -Industry towns/cities booming (Milan, Turin, Genoa)
33
Problems of Italy- poverty; what are the population statistics to do with farming/rural areas?
57% of population was rural, 50% farmers, 68% dependent on land for at least part of their livelihood
34
Problems of Italy- poverty; why were there divisions and lack of patriotism in Italy?
-Places like America promised more out of life, so many emigrated -Before 1860, Italy was made up of 8 separate states each w/ own ruler & systems; most Italians left loyal to their region -Mountain ranges and islands made communication difficult -Large industrial working classes, sizeable lower-middle, powerful class of rich industrialists & bankers
35
Problems of Italy- poverty; what percentage of the population spoke ‘Italian’?
2% (local dialect of Tuscany)
36
Problems of Italy- poverty; why was agriculture not that efficient?
Agriculture methods used new machinery but productivity was much lower than other European levels
37
Problems of Italy; what can the politics be described as?
Corrupt & inefficient
38
Problems of Italy - politics; what kind of reforms did the government want to implement?
-State education (to break up Catholic influence) -Stimulate economic development & progress
39
Problems of Italy - politics; what was trasformismo and the issue with it?
-MPs fought amongst each other & used bribery to get their way, forming weak coalitions which often collapsed -No mass parties, party discipline & leading politicians made weak coalitions -Few Italians had confidence w/ system, constant threat of rebellion -It continued even after universal suffrage 1912
40
Problems of Italy - politics; what were the Liberals split up into and what were they united in distrusting of?
-The masses, who played little part in struggle for unification -Influence of socialists, anarchists, & republicans on the left -The catholic church on the right -All of these opposed to new Italian state so liberals determined to keep politics under their firm control until old, internal rivalries overcome & they were secure
41
Problems of Italy - politics; how was the electorate restricted and what was the impact of this?
-25% adult males could vote in 1882 -Outcomes of elections favoured on the minority interests
42
Giolittianism; who was Giovanni Giolitti and what was his aim?
-PM of Italy 5 times between 1892-1921 -No longer wanted government to be enemy of the urban worker & rural poor
43
Giolittianism; what domestic reforms did Giolitti implement?
-↑ wealth & prosperity, therefore wages -Series of social reforms where laws were created controlling female + child labour, establishment of social insurance, & pension schemes -Gov expenditure on public works↑& had x2 from 1900-07, part of money went to improving roads, farming, & quality of drinking water -Taxes on food ↓ -Drug quinine supplied free of charge to areas affected by malaria
44
Giolittianism; how did the domestic reforms address issues of labour disputes?
-Lib govs recognised workers had right to strike but often views strikers as potentially revolutionary mobs to be dispersed by police -Giolitti thought gov should be neutral
45
Giolittianism- domestic reforms; how did the government respond to the 1904 general strike and what did this result in?
-Gov remained neutral & strike eventually collapsed -Employers realised they could no longer hold faith in gov
46
Giolittianism; why did the domestic reforms end up alienating further groups?
When trying to gain more Catholic support (eg made anti-abortion laws)
47
Giolittianism- domestic reforms; what was the government fearful of?
Involvement of gov on the side of workers
48
Giolittianism- domestic reforms; what kind of government did the industrialists want and why?
-Authoritarian gov -To resist challenges from workers
49
Giolittianism- domestic reforms; what were small traders and shopkeepers concerned about?
The dangers of socialism, power of business & weaknesses of gov
50
Giolittianism- domestic reforms; what were attempts at social reform undermined by?
Corrupt traditionalist methods
51
Giolittianism- domestic reforms; what was the relationship like between PSI members and Giolitti?
-Many PSI members willing to work alongside Giolitti & Catholics liked his idea of dropping divorce permitting laws & creation of more Catholic schools -By 1911, they were part of governing coalitions in Turin, Bologna, Florence & Venice
52
Giolittianism- domestic reforms; how did the prospect of universal suffrage increase?
-Electorate increased; 3m to 8.5m -Anyone who had completed military service could vote & all literate men 21+, all 30+
53
Giolittianism- how were the 1913 election results split?
-511 seats in chamber -Liberal factions= 318 -Socialists= 78
54
Giolittianism- foreign reforms; why did Italy attack Libya in 1912?
To gain support of key groups (bowing to nationalist pressure)
55
Giolittianism- foreign reforms; what was the impact of the Italo-Turkish war with Libya?
-Alienated the south & socialists -Many conscripted to a war they didn't understand but were paying for in loss of workers & life -1500 million lire used & 3500 dead -Called a 'pyrrhic' victory; victory at large cost
56
Giolittianism; what occurred during the 1914 mass social unrest?
-The shooting of three demonstrators sparked riots in other cities -Radicals seized government buildings -"Red week"; general strike called but socialists failed to organise protests effectively. Used soldiers & frightened bourgeoisie
57
By the eve of WW1- positive view; what helped create a sense of Italian nationhood?
National military service & introduction of free health care
58
By the eve of WW1- positive view; what evidence was there that economic progress had been rapid?
-National income rise from 61 billion lire 1895 → 92 billion lire 1915 -x6 ↑ foreign trade in 50 years up to 1913 -Taxes on food ↓ -Money spent to improve roads, railways & supply of drinking water
59
By the eve of WW1- positive view; what did foreign policy evidence consist of?
-Italy joined triple alliance -Successful conquest in Libya
60
By the eve of WW1- positive view; what political evidence was used?
-Universal male suffrage 1912 -Trasformismo; Giolitti managed to co-opt both moderate socialists & moderate catholics into his governing coalitions
61
By the eve of WW1- negative view; what did the Socialist criticism consist of?
-Condemned regime as cover for capitalist exploitation of Italian working class -Wages ↓ & hours long compared w/ rest of western Europe -Welfare benefits also ↓ in comparison -Severe poverty widespread, wealth of country squandered on E Africa/Libya adventures -Improvements to life of Italian worker wrung out of state too willing to use army to crush strikers & opposing political groups -1871-1915; 5m Italians choose to emigrate to USA/S America, confirmed failure of liberalism
62
By the eve of WW1- negative view; what did the Nationalist criticism consist of?
-State lacked will to make Italy major force on European scene -Vast emigration = national disgrace -Liberalism only exacerbated class struggles Never had instilled a 'national spirit', as politicians only concerned w/ themselves
63
By the eve of WW1- negative view; what did the Catholic criticism consist of?
-Many saw Liberals as urban educated elite w/ no interest/understanding of real Italy -Found it hard to support regime that had willingly crushed papal interests -Many believed liberals neglected issues of poor -Catholic peasantry (esp south); poverty remained desperate issue -But, some saw liberalism as preferable to socialism, who’d destroy catholic influence if had power
64
WW1; what was Giolitti’s view on involvement?
Opposed it, thought Italy was unprepared
65
WW1; what were many Italians in favour of?
Neutrality, especially Socialists
66
WW1; what did Austria reveal to Italy?
They would never concede Trieste/Trentino, which Italy thought entitled to them due to irredentism
67
WW1; what occurred while debates happened with Britain and France?
Interventionists protested on the streets, included fasci & ANI (nationalist party)
68
WW1; what happened when Italy joined the Triple Entente?
-Italy declared war on Germany & Austria, 1915 -Treaty of London w/ Entente powers promised Italy; Tyrol, Istria, Dalmatia, etc which pleased the Nationalists

AQA A-Level History: Italy & Fascism c1900-1945 (8 decks)

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