Italy Flashcards

1
Q

What influence did the Catholic Church have?

A
  • Italy as a dramatically catholic country faced a great deal of influence by the church.
  • This made it a must to be appealed to by Mussolini.
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2
Q

What were Giolitti’s key aims when he became prime minister in 1911?

A
  • Make Italy into a modern, industrialised, successful country where the masses shared unifying values and a faith in the liberal parliament.
  • Unite the politicians in his government.
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3
Q

What evidence is there showing the strength of the socialists in 1913?

A
  • Won nearly 1/4 of all votes cast

- 508 Parliament seats.

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4
Q

Why did socialism grow by 1914?

A
  • There were many strikes and riots demanding pay.

- Social unrest within the working class

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5
Q

What was Giolitti’s view towards the Catholic Church?

A
  • Church and state should be seperate.

- “Two parallel lines which should not meet”

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6
Q

What concessions did Giolitti offer the Catholic Church in order to gain their support?

A
  • Allowed a divorce bill

- Promoted catholic interests e.g. education

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7
Q

What concessions did Giolitti offer the Socialists for their support?

A
  • Various social reforms.
  • Including State-subsidises sickness in 1913
  • Only 1 of 2 socialist groups joined him
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8
Q

How did Giolitti attempt to embrace nationalism?

A

-In 1911 Giolitti invaded Libya to expand the Italian empire into North Africa

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9
Q

When was Universal Manhood Suffrage enforced?

A

-1912

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10
Q

What were the successes of the 1912 Franchise extension?

A
  • Gained Catholic Support

- Potentially created an electorate grateful to Liberals.

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11
Q

What were the failures of the 1912 Franchise extension?

A
  • 70% of voters now illiterate
  • In 1913 Liberal deputies won only 318 seats (loss of 71), with all opponents making gains.
  • Liberals now more dependent on the Church.
  • Trasformismo now impossible
  • In 1914 Church withdrew support from Giolitti.
  • 1914 Giolitti resigned.
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12
Q

What was the June 1914 Red week?

A

-National strikes called by the PSI accompanied by widespread violence.

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13
Q

What was the Triple Alliance?

A
  • Alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary.

- Majority of Italians agreed to disobey it as they entered the First World War.

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14
Q

What was the Treaty of London?

A

-A pledge to support Britain, France and Russia.

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15
Q

What was the reaction to the Treaty of London?

A
  • The socialists and Catholics were against intervention.
  • People against it were deemed traitors.
  • The nationalists were pro-intervention.
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16
Q

When did Italy join the war?

A

-25th May 1915

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17
Q

How many men were conscripted into the army during WW1?

A

-Nearly 5 million

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18
Q

Why did conscription increase social tensions during the First World War?

A
  • Most conscripts were agricultural workers/peasants from the South.
  • As a result of lack of a national identity, southerners were overrepresented and the ideals of the war meant very little to them.
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19
Q

How many deserters were court-martialled during WW1?

A

-290,000

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20
Q

What effect did the First World War have on politics?

A

-Politics became more polarised as the socialists strongly detested the war whilst the nationalists strongly supported it.

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21
Q

What land was meant to be collected as a result of the Treaty of London?

A

-Trent and Trieste

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22
Q

What was the 1919-1920 Biennio Rosso?

A
  • Roughly translates as ‘Two Red Years’
  • A period of strikes inspired by the Russian revolution calling for greater worker rights and possible revolution.
  • 400,000 factory workers went on strike for 4 weeks in September 1920 taking over factories and flying red flags of communism.
23
Q

What caused riots in Northern and Central Italy during 1919?

A

-Rising food prices

24
Q

What share of the vote did the PSI receive in the 1919 election?

A

32%

25
Q

What were conditions like for soldiers during the First World War?

A

-Conditions were horrific and thousands of Italian soldiers were killed by cholera and frostbite.

26
Q

What made communication difficult for the Italian army during the First World War?

A

-The majority of the peasant conscripts, who spoke a vast range of dialects, could not understand the orders given to them by the educated northern Italians.

27
Q

How many death sentences for desertion and indiscipline took place during the First World War?

A

-Military tribunals put 4000 to death.

28
Q

How many Italians died of hunger-related illnesses during the First World War?

A

-100,000, 5 times that of Britain and France who were allowed to receive food parcels from home.

29
Q

What was the October 1917 Battle of Caporetto?

A

-During the Battle of Caporetto Italy suffered a humiliating defeat. When Austrian forces attacked, poor leadership and low morale saw the Italian army chaotically retreat down the mountain.

30
Q

What was the Acerbo Law of 1923?

A
  • Gave two-thirds of parliamentary seats to the party that won more than 25% of the vote.
  • Elites : Giolitti, the King and Vatican all supported it.
31
Q

What was the Matteoti Crisis of 1924?

A
  • Matteotti PCI leader gave a strong speech criticising the violence and corruption of the campaign.
  • Matteotti was then kidnapped and found dead in August 1924.
  • Large crowds protested in the streets and Mussolini was called to resign.
32
Q

What was the Aventine Secession?

A
  • 100 Anti-fascist deputies left parliament to establish their own parliament on Aventine Hill.
  • This destroyed any chance of a vote of no confidence passing to dismiss Mussolini.
  • As Mussolini was confident he had the backing of the king, the pope, the army and business and political elites as they believed he was the better option rather than a socialist government or civil war.
  • Mussolini more confident and fascist legislation easier to pass through parliament.
33
Q

What did Mussolini’s speech in January 1925 declare?

A

-The announcement of the fascist dictatorship under personal rule of Mussolini.

34
Q

When was Mussolini granted ‘rule by decree’ and what did it allow?

A
  • January 1926

- Mussolini could make laws without discussion, consultation or vote in parliament.

35
Q

How did Mussolini gain the support of the army?

A
  • Increased officer and generals’ pay

- Appointed conservative monarchist Pietro Badoglio

36
Q

What happened to the PSU in August 1925?

A

-Mussolini banned the party

37
Q

How did Mussolini censor the press?

A
  • Introduced a new press law in 1925 meaning all journalism had to be supervised and approved by the state.
  • Introduced a new law giving govt power to sack any public employee who went against the PNF
38
Q

When were other parties banned?

A
  • October 1926

- Most opposition leaders (10,000) fled into exile.

39
Q

What was the Opera Nazionale Balila created in 1926?

A
  • Created with the goal of providing “physical and moral benefit of youth”
  • For boys 6-11.
  • Membership not compulsory beyond age of 11 but provided access to many jobs and scholarships.
40
Q

How did the PNF control education?

A
  • 1929 Ministry of National education controlled all education organisations.
  • All teachers had to belong to the PNF by 1933.
41
Q

What was the cult of il Duce?

A
  • Image spread through posters, cinema, news reels and radio broadcasts.
  • Portrayed Mussolini as a leader of immense ability.
  • 30 million pictures circulated.
42
Q

How many death sentences were carried out after the death sentence was introduced by Mussolini?

A

-Only 9 death sentences.

43
Q

What was Confino?

A
  • The act of Special Tribunals in sending anti-fascists into exile.
  • Was financially devastating.
  • 10,000 italians sent into confino
44
Q

Who was Bocchini and what did his Political Police division do (1926)?

A
  • A network of spies to infiltrate and break up antifascist organisations.
  • Held files on over 130,000 Italians.
45
Q

What was the Salo Republic?

A
  • 1943 Mussolini run localised area in northern Italy.
  • The south of Italy was slowly being taken over by allied forces.
  • Did not have the support of the Catholic church or majority of Italian population who simply wanted the war to be over with
46
Q

How many anti-fascists rebelled against the Salo Republic? (Civil War)

A

-50,000

47
Q

Why did people dislike the Salo Republic/Germany during WW2?

A

-Saw it as simply a puppet state for Germany (Catholics especially)

48
Q

What were Mussolini’s aims in the battle for Grain?

A
  • Boost cereal production to make Italy self-sufficient in grain.
  • To lower the necessity for imports of foreign bread.
  • To reduce the balance of trade deficit
49
Q

What actions did Mussolini take in the battle for Grain?

A
  • High tariffs placed on imports of bread
  • Infertile lands renewed.
  • Grants given to farmers who farmed on infertile lands.
50
Q

How successful was the battle for Grain?

A
  • Wheat imports decreased 75% 1925-1935.
  • Cereal production doubled over the same period.
  • However, the cost of bread rose sharply and other areas were not invested in
51
Q

What were the aims of the battle for the Lira?

A
  • fix lira to the rate of 90/pound sterling

- to show the world that Italy could be a great force with a strong currency.

52
Q

How successful was the re-evaluation of the Lira in 1926?

A
  • By making imports cheaper, industries such as steel and chemicals benefited.
  • These industries later provided the basis for Mussolini’s rearmament policy.
53
Q

What was the Lateran treaty?

A

-