Italy Flashcards
What influence did the Catholic Church have?
- 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.
What were Giolitti’s key aims when he became prime minister in 1911?
- 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.
What evidence is there showing the strength of the socialists in 1913?
- Won nearly 1/4 of all votes cast
- 508 Parliament seats.
Why did socialism grow by 1914?
- There were many strikes and riots demanding pay.
- Social unrest within the working class
What was Giolitti’s view towards the Catholic Church?
- Church and state should be seperate.
- “Two parallel lines which should not meet”
What concessions did Giolitti offer the Catholic Church in order to gain their support?
- Allowed a divorce bill
- Promoted catholic interests e.g. education
What concessions did Giolitti offer the Socialists for their support?
- Various social reforms.
- Including State-subsidises sickness in 1913
- Only 1 of 2 socialist groups joined him
How did Giolitti attempt to embrace nationalism?
-In 1911 Giolitti invaded Libya to expand the Italian empire into North Africa
When was Universal Manhood Suffrage enforced?
-1912
What were the successes of the 1912 Franchise extension?
- Gained Catholic Support
- Potentially created an electorate grateful to Liberals.
What were the failures of the 1912 Franchise extension?
- 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.
What was the June 1914 Red week?
-National strikes called by the PSI accompanied by widespread violence.
What was the Triple Alliance?
- Alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary.
- Majority of Italians agreed to disobey it as they entered the First World War.
What was the Treaty of London?
-A pledge to support Britain, France and Russia.
What was the reaction to the Treaty of London?
- The socialists and Catholics were against intervention.
- People against it were deemed traitors.
- The nationalists were pro-intervention.
When did Italy join the war?
-25th May 1915
How many men were conscripted into the army during WW1?
-Nearly 5 million
Why did conscription increase social tensions during the First World War?
- 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.
How many deserters were court-martialled during WW1?
-290,000
What effect did the First World War have on politics?
-Politics became more polarised as the socialists strongly detested the war whilst the nationalists strongly supported it.
What land was meant to be collected as a result of the Treaty of London?
-Trent and Trieste
What was the 1919-1920 Biennio Rosso?
- 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.
What caused riots in Northern and Central Italy during 1919?
-Rising food prices
What share of the vote did the PSI receive in the 1919 election?
32%
What were conditions like for soldiers during the First World War?
-Conditions were horrific and thousands of Italian soldiers were killed by cholera and frostbite.
What made communication difficult for the Italian army during the First World War?
-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.
How many death sentences for desertion and indiscipline took place during the First World War?
-Military tribunals put 4000 to death.
How many Italians died of hunger-related illnesses during the First World War?
-100,000, 5 times that of Britain and France who were allowed to receive food parcels from home.
What was the October 1917 Battle of Caporetto?
-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.
What was the Acerbo Law of 1923?
- 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.
What was the Matteoti Crisis of 1924?
- 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.
What was the Aventine Secession?
- 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.
What did Mussolini’s speech in January 1925 declare?
-The announcement of the fascist dictatorship under personal rule of Mussolini.
When was Mussolini granted ‘rule by decree’ and what did it allow?
- January 1926
- Mussolini could make laws without discussion, consultation or vote in parliament.
How did Mussolini gain the support of the army?
- Increased officer and generals’ pay
- Appointed conservative monarchist Pietro Badoglio
What happened to the PSU in August 1925?
-Mussolini banned the party
How did Mussolini censor the press?
- 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
When were other parties banned?
- October 1926
- Most opposition leaders (10,000) fled into exile.
What was the Opera Nazionale Balila created in 1926?
- 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.
How did the PNF control education?
- 1929 Ministry of National education controlled all education organisations.
- All teachers had to belong to the PNF by 1933.
What was the cult of il Duce?
- Image spread through posters, cinema, news reels and radio broadcasts.
- Portrayed Mussolini as a leader of immense ability.
- 30 million pictures circulated.
How many death sentences were carried out after the death sentence was introduced by Mussolini?
-Only 9 death sentences.
What was Confino?
- The act of Special Tribunals in sending anti-fascists into exile.
- Was financially devastating.
- 10,000 italians sent into confino
Who was Bocchini and what did his Political Police division do (1926)?
- A network of spies to infiltrate and break up antifascist organisations.
- Held files on over 130,000 Italians.
What was the Salo Republic?
- 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
How many anti-fascists rebelled against the Salo Republic? (Civil War)
-50,000
Why did people dislike the Salo Republic/Germany during WW2?
-Saw it as simply a puppet state for Germany (Catholics especially)
What were Mussolini’s aims in the battle for Grain?
- 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
What actions did Mussolini take in the battle for Grain?
- High tariffs placed on imports of bread
- Infertile lands renewed.
- Grants given to farmers who farmed on infertile lands.
How successful was the battle for Grain?
- 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
What were the aims of the battle for the Lira?
- fix lira to the rate of 90/pound sterling
- to show the world that Italy could be a great force with a strong currency.
How successful was the re-evaluation of the Lira in 1926?
- By making imports cheaper, industries such as steel and chemicals benefited.
- These industries later provided the basis for Mussolini’s rearmament policy.
What was the Lateran treaty?
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