Introduction Flashcards
What years did Italy go through the unification process?
1861-1870
What was the Irredenta?
Italian speaking areas outside of Italy that they later claimed
What was the key differences between the North and South?
North is industrial, a lot of middle class.
South has a lot of farmers/peasants and were mostly illiterate
Why might this new unification cause difficulties?
Failure to work together due to hate or communication barriers as Italy had many different dialects
Italy existed but there was no national identity
What is trasforismo?
Political manoeuvring and deal making
What were some political problems?
Trasformismo
Less than 25% had the vote (mostly rich men)
No political parties
Why was the south an area of poverty?
Overfarmed
50% illiteracy
Only the really rich (0.01%) owned 50% of the land
Industry not developed and many strikes
Life expectancy poor and crime rates high
Few natural resources
What was emigration like for Italy?
Between 1876 and 1930 5 million emigrants moved to the US and 4/5 were from the South
1900-1909 2 million emigrated
Bad as lost many workers
But good as they got rid of a lot of illiterate people, gave the land rest and created less chance of a revolt
Why was the Church so powerful in Italy?
Nearly all Italians were catholic
Feud between church and state due to unification and pope losing land
The church forbade catholics to stand in elections until 1909
In the South priests spread the good word to illiterate peasants
What was Italy’s international status like?
Few colonies
Humiliating defeat by Abyssinians (Ethiopia) in 1896
National military service had been imposed
Many Italian speakers lived in other states
Looked weak compared to other European states
