Italy - Liberal State, 1911-18 Flashcards
When was Italy fully unified?
1870
Which country was Italy’s political system close to?
Britain
What did Italys constitution guarantee?
- Equality before the law
- Right to free assembly
- Free press
What powers did the monarch have?
- Appoint/dismiss government ministers
- Control foreign policy
What were the two parts of Parliament?
Senate and Chamber of Deputies
Until 1912 how many adult men could vote?
25%
How was the early political system described?
Elitist, unstable and corrupt
How strong were early political parties?
Quite weak and mainly labels for ambitious men without a coherent political ideology
What did weak political parties result in?
Coalitions of different factions
What was coalition building known as?
Trasformismo
What did Trasformismo result in?
Unstable governments
How many governments existed from 1900-11?
9
What were the most important political groupings?
- Liberals
- Radicals and Republicans
- Socialists
- Catholics
- Nationalists
Where was most economic growth concentrated?
North
How did poor economic policy help radical groups?
Due to no feeling of an improvement in standard of living they felt it was easier to support radicals
Which imports were made cheaper? What was the impact of this?
Iron and steel imports led to motor and engineering companies growing
How much were exports growing in the early 1900s?
4.5% a year
How much did industrial workers grow from 1901-11?
2 million
Why was industrial development limited and localised?
- Need to import iron, steel and coal
- Large but unskilled workforce
- Industrial machinery needing to be imported
- Communications, transport and energy sources underdeveloped
Which three cities accounted for 55% of industrial income?
Milan, Genoa and Turin
Which economist tried to encourage growth in the south?
Francesco Saverio Nitti
What was introduced after 1900 to boost growth in the south?
Free trade with internal tariffs ended
Why did free trade damage the southern economy?
Southern elites wanted the protect their traditional privileges rather than introduce change
In 1910 what was the wealth of the north and south?
48% in the north and 27% in the south
In 1870 what did Italy’s economy depend on?
Agriculture
What rich land for agriculture was there in the north?
Po Valley
Why was northern agriculture more productive?
- Improvements in mechanisations and fertilisation
- Irrigation and drainage systems
- Larger farms
What successful products came from the south?
- Wine
- Oil
- Citrus fruits
What problems did Italy face in the early 20th century?
Poverty, disease and illiteracy
Why was job security in the south poor?
When no longer needed by the landowner they were let go
How did poor living conditions negatively impact the economy?
Disease was able to spread easier even into the 1930s
What was Italian illiteracy rates upon unification?
69% illiterate which was worse in the south at 80%
What policies did Giolitti introduce to try and improve poor living condition?
- Sickness, accident and pension schemes
- Raising minimum working age to 12
- Placing primary education on the state
How did illiteracy rate improve by 1911?
Went down to just 37%
How many Italians emigrated in 1912-13 alone?
1.5 million
Why was emigration seen as disaster for Italy?
People with skills who could’ve strengthened Italy were leaving
