Italy as a 'great power'

Question 1

What did Italy tend to lag behind?

Answer 1

Italy tended to lag behind Europe’s major powers in foreign policy

Question 2

What did it lag behind in?

Answer 2

Italy tended to lag behind in industrial development behind Britain and Germany

Question 3

How was Italy geographically disadvantaged?

Answer 3

French and British navies dominated the Mediterranean

Question 4

What was Italy viewed as?

Answer 4

Italy was viewed as the least of the greatest powers

Question 5

What was Italy’s foreign policy goals?

Answer 5

Italy’s foreign policy goal was irredentism

Question 6

What is irredentism?

Answer 6

The belief that Italy should reclaim areas of Istria and South Tyrol

Question 7

Why did Italy believe that it should reclaim areas of Istria and South Tyrol?

Answer 7

Many of the population in these areas were ethnically Italian and spoke the right language

Question 8

What was the issue with Istria and South Tyrol?

Answer 8

At the time, Istria and South Tyrol fell within the Austro-Hungarian Empire

Question 9

What did Italy lack?

Answer 9

Italy didn’t have the military power and the diplomatic means to reclaim areas from other European nations

Question 10

What did Italy look to gain?

Answer 10

Italy looked to gain overseas colonies such as Africa

Question 11

Why did Italy look to gain overseas colonies?

Answer 11

Colonisation was seen as essential for any nation wanting to claim a place as one of Europe’s greatest powers

Question 12

What did position did Italy find itself in?

Answer 12

Italy found itself in a weaker position

Question 13

Where did Italy first focus on?

Answer 13

Italy first focused on Tunisia

Question 14

Why did Italy focused on Tunisia?

Answer 14

Had particular economic and strategic interests

Question 15

What happened in 1881?

Answer 15

The French, with the diplomatic support of Britain, invaded Tunisia and claimed it for themselves

Question 16

[1881] What did this lead onto?

Answer 16

The resulting considerable anger within the Italian government led to a signing in the defensive alliance with Austria and Germany

Question 17

What was the alliance called?

Answer 17

The Triple Alliance

Question 18

Who was The Triple Alliance aimed at?

Answer 18

Aimed predominantly against France

Question 19

Who did this alliance anger and why?

Answer 19

The Triple Alliance angered many Italians as Austria was the traditional enemy and was seen as a barrier to recovery of irredente lands

Question 20

What happened in 1884?

Answer 20

The British government informed Italy that it would agree to Italian expansion in Abyssinia

Question 21

What happened when Italy attempted to gain Abyssinia?

Answer 21

Italy’s attempt to gain Abyssinia failed at the Battle of Dogali

Question 22

What was the result of the Battle of Dogali?

Answer 22

Italian forces were defeated by the Ethiopian army and 500 soldiers died

Question 23

What did Italy seek to gain from 1894 onwards?

Answer 23

From 1894, Italy sought to Abyssinia

Question 24

What happened when Italy attempted to gain Abyssinia for the second time?

Answer 24

Italy’s attempt to gain Abyssinia failed at the Battle of Adwa

Question 25

On what date did the Battle of Adwa occur?

Answer 25

1st March 1896

Question 26

What was the result of the Battle of Adwa?

Answer 26

The Battle of Adwa was the worst defeat ever suffered by a European power in Africa. 5K troops were killed and thousands were injured at the hands of King Menelik of Abyssinia’s powerful army

Question 27

What did the PM at the time hope colonisation would do?

Answer 27

Italian PM, Francesco Crispi, hoped that the colonisation of Africa would be a means of uniting Italians of all classes and regions in the patriotic pride at Italy’s powerful expansion

Question 28

What happened instead?

Answer 28

Instead, the humiliation at the Battle of Adwa accenuated the growing anger towards Italy’s political system and was the catalyst for mass protests and riots that rocked Italy at the end of the 19th century