Intervention crisis Flashcards
Why did Salandra want to join the war?
- He argued that if Germany and Austria won the war, they wouldn’t be sympathetic towards an unfaithful ally
- On the other hand if Britain and France won and Italy hadn’t assisted them they wouldn’t be open to discuss Italy’s ambitions in the Med.
- He also thought the war would enable him to introduce more repressive legislation which would offer a more authoritarian solution to Italy’s problems as it would be hard to challenge his policies if Italy was victorious.
What did Salandra begin to do in order to enter the war?
Him and his foreign minister began secret negotiations with Britain & France and Germany & Austria at the beginning of 1915. The Entente offered the best deal promising Italy much of the Irredente lands if they won.
How and when did Italy enter the War?
They signed the Treaty of London on 26th April 1915 supporting Britain France and Russia
What are some of the Irredente lands which were promised to Italy in the Treaty of London?
South Tyrol, Trentino, Trieste and much of Dalmatia
Why did the signing of the Treaty of London lead to issues?
Issues were caused because the negotiations had been carried out in much secrecy with only Salandra and Sonnino knowing of them - not even the army general staff were informed.
Who was against the intervention?
the PSI, Catholics and Pope were totally against the war and politicians were asked to report on public opinion as to the matter and a majority said people were afraid of war and had little concern for Irredentism or war against Austria.
Who was Sonnino?
Sonnino was the foreign minister at the time of Italy’s intervention (he helped Salandra with the negotiations)
When did the Intervention issue come to a head?
In early May 1915 when Giolitti denounced the Treaty of London with 300 deputies backing him. Those who were against intervention called for Giolitti to be prime minister again. Crowds of people who were for war held rallies in the streets calling those who were against it traitors.
What happened as a result of the major issue that intervention caused?
Salandra resigned as Prime Minister and the King asked Giolitti to take over.
Why was Giolitti worried of backing out of the Treaty of London?
He was worried that if they backed out Italy would have betrayed both sides of the war. Also the King was backing the Treaty of London and implied that if it wasn’t honored, he might abdicate. As a result, Giolitti declined the offer as Prime Minister.
What happened after Giolitti declined the offer of Prime Minister?
Salandra was reinstated as Prime Minister on 16th May 1915 and on the 20th, he was granted emergency powers from parliament. As a result Italy formally declared war on Austria on the 25th May with Salandra claiming that they could only be victorious with national unity.
