Liberal Italy Flashcards
Italy in 1896
Domestic issues
Popular involvement in unification - identification with new state
Unification process dominated by elite
Differences between industrial north and agricultural south
Hostility from pope
Unification war debts - high taxes
Italy in 1896
Foreign policy
Foreign armies during unification - inferiority complex
Italy’s failure to defeat Austria in 1886 left Austria holding Italian land - irredenta
Desire to colonise
Humiliation in Adowa - Italian army was defeated by the Ethiopians in March 1896
Political problems
Political corruption led to frequent changes of government (29 changes of Prime minister between 1870-1922)
Socialism
27,000 members by 1897
1900 election PSI had 32 seats (>200,000 votes)
Catholicism
1904 election - Pope advises catholics to vote in elections if it would defeat socialism
Gentiolini Pact 1913 - Agreement to swing Catholic voters behind Giolitti’s coalition in the 1913 general election
Social Problems 1896
Only 2.5% of Italians spoke the official Italian language
77% of the population was illiterate
§ 87% of the South were illiterate
Emigration - between 1871 and 1915 approx 5m Italians emigrated out of Italy
Economic Problems 1896
High taxes - In 1900 Italians were one of the most highly taxed people
North/South Divide- intensified by industrialisation in the North
Tariff system favoured Northern industries
Lack of key resources such as coal and iron
Frequent unrest/revolt
Industrial Growth and it’s consequence
Remained a largely agrarian country + furthered divide between North and South
Enabled the rise of socialsm
Led to social unrest such as red week
Spring 1898 - Food riots
Food riots were due to a steep increase of wheat prices
Grain rose from 225 lira/tonne in June 1887 to 330 lira/tonne by May 1898.
May 1898 - Beva Beccaris massacre
The demonstrators against rising food prices were targeted
Govt claimed 80 dead and 450 injured, however real numbers may be up to 400 dead and 2000 wounded
Assassination of Umberto I 1900
Had supported the Beva Beccaris Massacre
Assassinated by Gaetano Bresci
Red week 1914
Worst outbreak of mass unrest since 1898
Shooting of three demonstrators marked riots and demonstrations
Radicals would seize control of government buildings
Thousands of soldiers were used to restore order
Socialist threat
Giolitti’ s political ministries
1912 Electoral reform law
Increased franchise to all men above 30 + all men serving in armed forces + most men above 21 who were literate
Increased the size of the electorate to ~9m, about 3x what it was
Non-interference in labour disputes
Failure of this policy would be highlighted in Red Week
Giolitti’s domestic ministries
1902 - Working day of women limited to 11 hours + banning the employment of children under the age of 12
1907 - weekly rest day
1910 - maternity fund - 10 lira for each birth + 30 lira from employer contributions
South - public works schemes to improve transport links, irrigation, drinking water and earthquake relief
Giolitti’s economic ministries
Real wages rose by 25% between 1890 and 1913
Steel production increased from 140,000 tonnes in 1900 -> 930,000 in 1913
Iron production increased from 20,000 tonnes in 1900 -> 430,000 tonnes in 1913
Remained a largely agrarian economy
National income increased from 61bn lira in 1895 -> 92bn lira in 1915
War in Abysinnia 1895-6
Complete failure
Humiliation of Adowa
Costly failure which would limit Italian foreign prestige
Scramble for Africa
Tripoli Campaign 1911-2
Defeat of Turkey
Pleased Nationalists
Resentment of Libya campaign because many ordinary Italians were conscripted to fight in a war they didn’t understand - limited national identity
Higher taxation to offset war debts
Pleasing one group but alienating another
Nationalism ~1915
Terre Irredenta was territory that was outside of Italy but had a significant amount of people who may be deemed ethnically Italian – Alto Adige, Trentino, Nice
Link of irredentism to nationalism - idea to “make Italy”
Demand for war to recover these
Felt like Risorgimento was uncompleted
1882 Triple Alliance had outraged nationalists - damaged the prospect of regaining irredentist lands
