M1- Italy in the early 20th century Flashcards
why was there a lack of Italian identity?
only 2% of the population could speak Italian
very few Italians played a major role in unification
long period of political division led to lack of nationalism
what problem did the Catholic Church have with the Liberal State?
only until 1890 did the Catholic Church recognise the state of Italy
the ROMAN QUESTION still played a massive factor on the minds of Catholics
how much of Italy’s population before 1912 reliant on agriculture?
68%
which area of Italy really struggled with poverty?
the South
what was the position of industry in Italian society before 1912?
heavy industry barely existed
other than for militaryy purposes there was little manufaturers in Italy
why was heavy industry so small in Liberal Italy?
the lack of natural resources meant that Italian companies had little materials to use
why was the Liberal political system so weak?
the Liberals themselves had very little differences with eachother
this meant that the need for political parties to represent opposing policy was unnecessary
what was Transformismo?
political manouvering
Liberals would often put aside their political differences in order to ensure that a policy was passed through government
what made the Liberal state seem so unstable and useless?
the political instability surrounding government
with so many different Prime Ministers, how could an effective policy be carried out without interruption
how many PMs between 1870 and 1922?
29
what were the 3 growing forces in Italy?
Socialism
Catholicism
Nationalism
why was there a lack of a conservative opposition to the liberals?
the Pope had banned catholics from entering Italian politics
a conservative opposition, based on catholic values, was not possible
therefore the liberal government was rarely opposed
how much of Italy had the vote in the 1910s?
25%
where was most of the economic expansion focussed on in Italy?
the north
which industries were growing significantly in Giolitti Italy?
iron
steel
chemicals
electrical
mechanical
which car companies were established in Giolitti Italy?
Fiat
Alfa Romeo
what was an issue amongst Italian workers?
unemployment
food shortages
high taxation
how many strikes between 1901 and 1911?
1,500
what further exemplified the north-south divide?
the rapid industrialisation of the north compared to the south
what was Southern Italy known as?
meridionale
what were the issues in the south?
poor geographical location
poor economy
poor treatment from the north
how long did it take for an Italian PM to visit the south?
32 years after unification
what was the industrial triangle?
Milan
Turin
Genoa
what were difficulties for the peasant population in the south?
malnutrition
poor diet
malaria
TB
how much of the southern population were illiterate?
more than 50%
did the govt try to help the south?
they tried to encourage industrial development in Naples but it failed
what did the southerners resort to?
emigration abroad to the USA
how many southern Italians emigrated to the USA between 1901 and 1913?
200,000 a year
major reason why Italy was not a ‘great power’
the French and British navies had control over the Mediterranean
what was early Italian FP obsessed with?
regaining the irredente lands
why could early Italy not push for irredentism?
Italy did not have the military means nor the diplomatic means to force A-H to give up land such as South Tyrol and Istria
example of WEAK Italian failure with colonialism
Battle of Adwa March 1896
5,000 Italians dead
worst ever colonial defeat by a European nation in Africa
what caused socialism to rise in the 1890s?
rapid industrialisation
who were attracted to the ideas of socialism and why?
the working class
they were concerned about pay, working conditions and the ownership of industry
what happened to the socialists at the Genoa Congress of 1892?
the socialist movement split into two:
- reformists
- maximalists
what were the maximalists?
they looked to revolutionary means to bring about socialism in Italy
- they would strike
- refused to participate in elections
what were the reformists?
they saw a long-term plan for socialism
were willing to work with the liberals to get better conditions for workers
when was the PSI formed?
1892
what did the PSI propose?
universal manhood suffrage
8-hour working day
income tax
women’s rights
what was universal manhood suffrage?
the right to vote for all man aged over 21
how many deputies did the Socialists win in the 1913 election?
79
who led the PSI?
Fillipo Turatti
how did the PSI spread their view?
were very active in spreading their message:
protests
lectures
debates
by 1910 how many Italians had joined socialist agricultural cooperatives?
218,000
how did Giolitti look to deal with the socialists?
by absorbing them through giving concessions
examples of socialist concessions made by Giolitti
banning of employment of under 12s (1901)
limiting of working day for women to 11 hours (1902)
maternity fund (1910)
what concession did Giolitti make in 1906 to the socialists?
setting up of arbitration courts to deal with employer-employee disputes
prevented strike actions
was Giolitti’s concessions to the socialists successful?
YES
he had managed to win support of the reformists and keep them on his side by offering moderate social reform
NO
he had failed to win the support of the maximalists
by compromising with the socialists he fell out of favour with the catholics and nationalists
what was a major reason for catholic distrust with the liberals?
the liberal support for socialists
not answering the Roman Question
what was the catholic reaction to the threat of socialism?
they lifted the ban on catholics running in elections in 1909
meant that Giolitti now had the catholics to deal with in politics
how did Giolitti look to gain catholic support?
through transformismo and absorption
examples of concessions made to the catholics by Giolitti
divorce bill was prevented (1904)
allowed religious education to be instated
why was Giolitti’s support for the catholics limited?
he prioritised support for the Socialists as he saw them as a bigger threat
did Giolitti deal with the Roman Question?
no
how did the catholic church grow it’s political influence?
more deputies in parliament
youth organisations
who did Giolitti see as his largest threat?
the nationalists
what were the reasons for a rise in nationalism in Italy?
failure of the Risorgimento
defeat at Adwa in 1896
emigration of Italians abroad
brought about shame which fuelled nationalist movement
what were the aims of the nationalisst
antisocialist
antiliberal
wanted an aggressive FP
reclaim irredente lands and colonies in Africa
why was nationalism more popular in the 1910s?
with the rise of socialism, Italians saw the nationalists as the only ones who could stop a socialist revolution
when was the ANI formed?
1910
who was the leader of the ANI?
Enrico Corradini
why did Giolitti struggle to work with the nationalists?
they saw Giolitti as the corrupt enemy
had no intentions of working with him
what did Giolitti do to try to gain the support of the nationalists?
invade Libya in 1911
