Italy Booklet 2- Post-war Challenges to the Liberal State 1918-1920

Question 1

What is meant by the mutilated victory?

Answer 1

Initially, the result of the war was a victory for Italy but the cost of war was high and Italy was humiliated by the Peace Treaty of Versailles where it didn’t gain some land it was promised territorially in the Treaty of London. Nationalists in particular felt betrayed by the weak liberal government who accepted the peace terms and their supposed allies for not rewarding Italian efforts sufficiently.

Question 2

What was the key problem stopping Italy gaining all the land it asked for?

Answer 2

The principle of self-determination set out by US President Wilson. He didn’t like the vast empires of European powers and thought that countries should be able to rule themselves.

Question 3

What was the main territory that Italy asked for that wasn’t included in the Treaty of London?

Answer 3

Fiume

Question 4

Did Italy gain most of the land it had been promised and what did it actually gain?

Answer 4

Yes, most but not all. They gained Trentino, Trieste, Istria, the Brenner and even small land gains that weren’t in the Treaty of London. They didn’t gain any of Germany’s former African colonies after Orlando walked out of the peace discussions. They also didn’t gain Dalmatia or Fiume.

Question 5

Who was Gabriele D’Annunzio?

Answer 5

A famous poet and nationalist who had been massively supporting and encouraging Italy’s entry into the war.

Question 6

When did D’Annunzio seize the port of Fiume with around 2000 ex-soldiers?

Answer 6

In 1919

Question 7

How significant was the occupation of Fiume by D’Annunzio?

Answer 7

Very. He held it for almost 2 years before the Italian government did anything about it because they were scared of his popularity. It showed that D’Annunzio and only 2000 others were able to occupy Fiume easily, something which the liberal government had failed to do. It furthermore showed the power of assertive nationalism, especially because D’Annunzio’s actions were so popular in Italy. Therefore it made the liberal government look weak and set the stage for Mussolini.

Question 8

How high was unemployment after the war and why?

Answer 8

2 million in 1919 because demobilised soldiers were flooding job markets.

Question 9

Why was inflation and government debt high after the war and who did this particularly affect?

Answer 9

The government printed a lot more money during the war to pay for the war effort which resulted in the lira losing significant value. This wiped out the savings of the middle class and taxes were also increased which further lost them money.

Question 10

Why did the free market economy struggle after the war?

Answer 10

Major companies like FIAT, Ansaldo and Liva struggled to stay afloat as people had very little money to spend which in turn increases cost of living as supply is low if major brands are struggling.

Question 11

What happened in rural areas after the war?

Answer 11

Some returning soldiers were able to buy land they once farmed. Peasant land ownership increased to 3.5 million. However life for day labourers became harder as poverty increased. Rural trade unions were established- called Labour Leagues. Giolitti legalised land seizures by the peasants after the war and local governments like in Tuscany became socialist.

Question 12

Why were industrialists angry after the war?

Answer 12

Worried about losing power to workers as socialism was gaining power and influence (Red Threat increased as a result of Russian Revolution in 1917 too). Biennio Rosso also increased strikes- 1663 strikes in industry in 1919 and felt betrayed by Giolitti and the government who were supporting workers.

Question 13

Why were the middle class and petty bourgeoisie angry and what did they do as a result?

Answer 13

Their savings lost significant value due to inflation and self employed workers particularly didn’t have any trade unions to represent their interests politically. Scared of socialism and industrial workers were gaining economically at their expense. Many turned to extreme ideologies like fascism to protect their economic, social and political interests.

Question 14

Why did the Biennio Rosso happen?

Answer 14

Socialist party and trade unions became more powerful post-war as workers suffered a severe drop in living standards and high levels of unemployment with the loss of military contracts. The PSI was also inspired to become more radical after the Russian revolution.

Question 15

How high was PSI membership by 1920?

Answer 15

Over 200,000.

Question 16

How many workers took over factories in the largest strike during Biennio Rosso in September 1920?

Answer 16

Over 400,000 workers.

Question 17

When was the recession and what did this show about the Italian economy as a result of Biennio Rosso?

Answer 17

Late 1920 and it showed that the Italian economy was close to collapse- couldn’t survive much longer if the strikes continued.

Question 18

What did landowners fear?

Answer 18

A rural revolution because of the land seizures, especially after they were legalised by the government.

Question 19

Which factors minimised the threat posed by Biennio Rosso?

Answer 19

After 1920, there was a sharp decline in the number of strikes. The General Strike of 1922 was a failure and fizzled out after one day. There was little national coordination of the movement. The government was ultimately able to end the major strike in September 1920 and calm the industrial situation for the upper and middle classes.

Question 20

How did Biennio Rosso weaken the liberal government?

Answer 20

They were forced to make compromises with the socialists to minimise the threat of revolution like legalising land seizures which alienated the middle and upper classes. This polarised Italian politics even further and pushed many middle and upper class people to extreme ideologies like fascism who actually gave them what they wanted. It also weakened the economy which would cause further problems for the government. Overall, it created a greater threat from both left and right and forced the liberals to make even more compromises which made them look weak.

Question 21

What did Nitti do before the 1919 election?

Answer 21

Introduced universal male suffrage, increasing the franchise by 11 million people. He also changed the voting system to proportional representation so the public vote would have a greater influence on which parties got elected into Parliament. However this can make it difficult for any one party to gain a majority.

Question 22

When was the PPI (Catholic party) formed and why was it popular?

Answer 22

In 1919 and it was a major supporter of land reform and campaigned for more land for Italy’s peasants. Italy was also very strongly Catholic and the Pope was revered so these factors combined made it very popular.

Question 23

Why was the growth of the PSI a problem for the liberal government?

Answer 23

Because they had become more radical after the Russian revolution and now refused to work with the liberals, calling for a revolution.

Question 24

What percentage of the vote did the PSI get in the 1919 election?

Answer 24

32%

Question 25

What percentage of the vote did the PPI get in the 1919 election?

Answer 25

20%

Question 26

Considering the PSI and PPI had the majority of votes, why did the liberals still remain in power?

Answer 26

The liberals put together several coalitions as neither the PSI or PPI had a full majority and they were unwilling to work together to form their own coalition. This showed the failure of democracy as the liberals were still in power even though the PSI and PPI were more popular. Many Italians started to question whether a more radical political system was needed to solve Italy’s problems.