Liberal Italy on the eve of WWI Flashcards
What did the liberals claim they had done for Italy by this point?
Italy had made huge progress under their rule and was evolving into a strong and healthy democracy
What had been introduced to create a greater sense of nationhood?
National military service and the introduction of free primary education through the Coppino Law
List the economic successes by this period
- Progress had been rapid, especially in steel and shipbuilding
- Fiat had become one of the largest producers of cars and trucks in Europe
- Olivetti was prominent in exporting new types of tech
What facilitated Italy’s economic success at this time?
The electricity produced by hydroelectric power stations in the Alps
Give some stats to indicate the economic improvement at this time
- National income had risen from 61 billion lire in 1895 to 92 billion lire in 1915
- Six fold increase in foreign trade in the fifty years to 1913
- The real wages of industrial workers had increased by 40% in the years between 1900 and 1913
Why was economic growth useful for the liberals?
It meant they received more tax and could therefore lower taxes on food and spend money on improving rail, road and water
List the foreign policy successes enjoyed by the liberals
They joined to triple alliance, conquered Libya and gained an empire in East Africa, all of which had confirmed Italy as a great power
What was the most important success according to the liberals?
The fact that they had create a robust, stable political system
What did Giolitti do to stabilise Italian politics?
He became a master of the transformismo, coopting moderate socialists and catholics into his governing coalition
What had the liberals done to improve democracy?
They had gradually extended the franchise to the point that there was near universal manhood suffrage by 1912
What did Trevelyan, a British historian at the time, say about Italy at this time?
‘Nothing is more remarkable than the stability of the Italian Kingdom and the building is as safe as any in Europe
What did the socialists say the liberal regime was a cover for?
Capitalist exploitation of the working classes
Explain the socialist arguement that the liberals had failed to cater to working class interests
- Wages, working hours and welfare benefits compared unfavourably with the rest of Western Europe
- Any political change had to be forced out of a state all too willing to use repression against popular protest
What did the socialist claim Italy’s wealth had been squandered on?
Failed imperial adventures
What did the socialist see Italian emigration to America as proof of?
The failure of the liberals to address the problem of poverty
How many Italians underwent transatlantic emigration between 1871 and 1915
5 Million
What had the liberals lacked the will to do according to the nationalists?
Make Italy a major force in Europe
How many Italians underwent transatlantic emigration each year on average from 1901?
500,000
What did nationalists see the Italian diaspora as?
A national disgrace
How had the Italians been internationally humiliated in 1896?
The Battle of Adowa
Why did the nationalists see the transatlantic emigration as a waste?
Because they were men and women who could have been contributing to the economy and filling the ranks of the military
What did the nationalists think the liberals had exascerbated?
Class struggle
What was the primary concern of liberal politicians according to the nationalists?
Furthering their own career, which often caused them to favour private interests over public interests
What had the liberals failed to instill within Italians according to the nationalists?
National spirit
How did Giolitti damage democracy?
He employed corrupt tactics like using government officials to bribe/intimidate opponents in order to win GEs
Why did many Catholics find it difficult ton support the liberal regime?
- Because they had they had trampled the Pope’s territorial rights in Rome in 1870
- They thought the liberals had neglected the Catholic peasantry, particularly in the South
What was the problem with the grants that the Giolitti government gave the the South to improve irrigation and the supply of drinking water?
They were woefully inadequate
Give a statistic to highlight the extent of inequality in Sicily
0.01% of the population owned 50% of the wealth
What did Southern peasants form the majority of?
Those Italians undergoing transatlantic emigration
What would Catholic groups who were working towards improvement in social policy form after the war?
The Popolari?
What were the Popolari determined not to do?
Be absorbed into the liberal government
What did Catholics see the liberal politicians as?
An educated elite who had little interest in or understanding of the Italian people
Why did the more conservative Catholics accept the regime?
They saw it as preferrable to socialism
Why was the Pope not prepared to endorse the formation of a Catholic political party?
Because he feared it might rival his authority
Why did conservative Catholics oppose the idea of a Catholic political party?
Because they thought a Catholic party in the hands of radical reformers would be less willing to protect property rights than the liberals
