growing instability, 1912-14 Flashcards
LO: impact of invasion of Libya, impact of the franchise extension of 1912, growth of nationalism and socialism, resignation of Giolitti, the declaration of neutrality 1914
what were the key impacts of the invasion of Libya
support for nationalists
nationalist opposition to the liberals
destruction of cooperation with the PSI
PSI taken over by more radical wing of party
Mussolini appointed editor of Avanti! in 1912
Giolitti’s attempts at absorbing socialists into liberal state ended in complete failure
why did support for nationalists grow after Libya and why was this a problem?
the ANI took credit for the war, claiming that Giolitti had only launched it under pressure from their movement, and they blamed the liberals’ weakness and lack of patriotism as the reasons why the Italian army lost so many men during the fighting
why was Giolitti’s co-operation with the PSI ended?
they opposed the war as imperialist militarism
what was the effect of the invasion of Libya on the control of PSI itself?
more radical socialists expelled those memebrs who had supported the war, such as Bissolati, and the revolutionary wing of the party seized control, with the more moderate members of the PSI isolated and unable to influence party policy
what did Mussolini’s campaign as editor of Avanti! focus on?
it focused its campaign on the corrupt liberal order and militarists who had murdered workers both in Libya and Italy
what is suffrage?
right to vote
who had the suffrage before 1912?
literate men over the age of 21
what were the reasons for extending the vote?
soldiers fighting in Libya were mostly illiterate
greater national unity
strengthen vote in rural area which tended to be more conservative
weaken the PSI, as with greater electoral representation the working class would be less inclined to support more radical ideologies
who now could vote after 1912?
all men who had completed military service and all men aged 30 and over regardless of illiteracy
what was the concern around the franchise extension?
now around 70% of Italy’s voters were potentially illiterate
what was the impact of the franchise extension?
in the 1913 elections, the Liberals won fewer seats (370 to 318)
Giolitti formed a coalition govt with the support of the Catholic Union
what was the impact of the formation of a liberal + catholic coalition?
Giolitti was reliant on catholic support
he had to make more concessions such as making civil marriages precede a religious service
it meant that radicals and socialists would no longer collaborate with him
what did the socialists argue on their opposition to the liberal system?
they thought the system was used to protect the elite and intimidate the working class, and argue that italy’s wealth was being wasted on foreign campaigns such as Libya
what were the nationalists worried about in 1912-14 and where did their support come from?
they were becoming more powerful in this period and were worried about the ‘socialist threat’.
they drew support from a mixture of business interests, journalists, poets and painters
what was the impact of mass suffrage on gaining support ?
it meant mass parties and both the nationalists and the Catholics found the powers of religion and patriotism were the most dynamic forces in gaining the support of the Italian people
who was the new PM after Giolitti? + when
Antonio Salandra in 1914
what did Salandra believe he could do?
he believed he could revive liberalism by linking it more closely with nationalism
why and when did Salandra resign (both times!)
he resigned in 1915 after a parliamentary revolt against the Treaty of London which he had negotiated in secret
then he was reinstated and was PM until 1916, when he was forced to resign after the Austrian army launched the Strafexpedition in Summer 1916 against italian forces
when was there a national strike?
June 1914
what was the national strike in June 1914?
the PSI declared one after 3 protesters were shot dead by the police in Ancona
Anarchists, republicans and other radicals joined in and for a week most of northern and central Italy was in chaos as public buildings were torched, tax registers destroyed, railway stations seized and churches attacked
what was the impact of this Red Week?
hundreds of workers lost their lives in battles against authorities and Italy appeared to be on the verge of revolution
how did the Red Week end?
after trade unions agreed to call off the strike
what was the significance of riots?
they demosntrated to Salandra the difficulty of achieving national unity. Instead, Italian society appeared more divided on class and ideological grounds than at any time since unification
what was the outcome of the 1913 elections?
Liberal deputies won only 318 setas out of 511 seats, a loss of 71 seats from the 1909 elections
what was the secret deal between Count Gentiloni, president of the Catholic Electoral Union, and liberal candidates
he asked liberals to agree to seven key points (mainly on religious education and divorce laws) in return for the Catholic vote
Then Gentiloni boasted that around 228 liberal deputies out of the 318 elected owed their victory to Catholic support
what was the impact of this secret deal?
the liberal govt was becoming more and more reliant on support from the Church
what was the impact on Giolitti’s attempt to unite oppositional groups through Transformismo and on his own position?
using transformismo was now virtually impossible
socialists and anticlerical liberals within parliament withdrew their support for Giolitti in spring of 1914
Giolitti resigned as PM on 21 March 1914
what did Giolitti’s resignation proved and what was its impact?
the end of his system and of transformismo.
after 1913, govts tended to be nationalist, catholic or both.
the rise of a more aggressive form of politics coincided with the rising tensions internationally prior to the outbreak of WW1
what was the trigger to the WW1?
in June 1914 the heir to the Austrian throne Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated along with his wife while on a visit to Sarajevo
when did war break out and what was Italy’s response?
August 1914 and Italy declared itself neutral
how was Italy able to declare itself neutral?
Austria had not consulted with Italy’s govt before declaring war on Serbia which meant that Italy’s treaty obligations to Austria did not apply
what was many politicians’ beliefs after Italy’s announcement to remain neutral?
that Italy was not economically ready to engage in a major war
what was the attitudes of the Italian public towards neutrality?
the majority of Italians had no wish to get involved in the conflict and backed Giolitti and other non-interventionist politicians
