Invasion of Libya Flashcards
On what date did the invasion begin?
The invasion of Libya began on the 28th September 1911
What was the invasion greeted with from the Italian people?
The invasion of Libya was greeted with outpouring nationalist enthusiasm, even from socialist leaders (Leonida Bissolati) who hoped acquiring the colony could provide land for Italy’s poor peasantry
What did naval forces seize and in how much time?
Naval forced seized most of Libya’s ports and coastal towns within 3 weeks
How many troops did the government commit?
70K troops
How many islands did Italian forces occupy and where?
Italian forces occupied 13 Turkish-held islands in the Aegean Sea
What meant that the Ottoman Empire couldn’t continue war?
This move, alongside the fact that Turkey began a war with Montenegro, Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece in October 1912, meant that the Ottomans couldn’t continue the war and on 8th October, they surrendered control of Libya to the Italians
How many troops did Italy keep? Why?
Italy was forced to keep 50K troops in Libya to pacify the Arab population
How many deaths did the war cost?
The war had cost 3.5K Italian deaths
What was the colonisation of Libya greeted as?
The colonisation of Libya was greeted as a resounding victory that had overcome the shame of Adwa and demonstrated Italy as being a true European power
What did Giolitti’s foreign policy gain him?
Giolitti’s foreign policy gained him considerable support, but the success was very short-lived
What appeared by 1912?
By 1912, it appeared that Giolitti’s programme had been successful
What did the social reforms encourage?
The social reforms encouraged the support of PSI deputies in parliament who were prepared to support Giolitti’s govt and effectively act in a coalition with Giolitti
What happened with the Catholic Church?
The Catholic Church had become less antagonistic to the state and had been cooperating with liberals in several key areas
What happened to the nationalists?
The victory of Libya appeared to galvanise the nationalist support for the government
What was the introduction of war and universal suffrage going to impact?
The war and the introduction of universal suffrage were to have severe consequences for Giolitti’s government
