Introduction to Italy Flashcards
In what year did Italy become fully unified?
1870
What was the issue with the Italians all speaking different dialects?
It meant that they couldn’t always understand one another which provided issues for communication disputes between people on what dialect would be used for things such as government.
What was the type of political system in Italy c1911?
a constitutional monarchy
How many houses of parliament were there in Italy c1911?
two
What was the issue with the political parties in Italy c1911, and what did this lead to?
They were weak and had almost no sense of identity which meant that there was a lot of political manoeuvring and deal making (transformismo)
What percentage of Italians had the vote c1911? and what did this lead to?
less than 25%, which led to a large proportion of the population feeling underrepresented, leading to violent social unrest.
How much of the Italian population were illiterate c1911?
around 50%, mainly in the south
What was the distribution of wealth like in Italy c1911? Give an example of a statistic
Very unequal distribution of wealth, in 1914, 0.01% of population owned 50% of land.
When did emigration from Italy peak?
early 1900s
Between 1876 and 1930, how many people emigrated from Italy, where were they from, and what were their jobs?
5 million people. 4/5 of them were from the south of Italy
2/3 were labourers
Where was most Italian industry centred?
in major industrial cities in the north
What was the main industry in the south?
subsistence agriculture
What did the economic expansion look like in Italy c1911?
Some railways and hydroelectric plants built in the north
What was the attitude towards the church in Italy c1911?
Almost every Italian at this time was catholic and the pope was revered.
What was the relationship between the church and the Italian state like c1911? Why?
There was a long-term feud between the church and the state because the pope had been forced to give up land in during the process of unification. So much so, that the church forbade Catholics to stand in elections and highly disapproved of voting.
