M2- Challenges to the Liberal State Flashcards
what had WW1 show to Italians?
the failures of the Liberal govt in keeping promises
divisions between different classes of Italians
greater violence between political groups
what problems did the Liberal government face after the war?
the economy was suffering from debt and inflation
rising tension in the South with conscripts returning home believing they were promised land reform
returning soldiers in the North clashed with factory workers who they believed were cowards for not fighting
what did many Southern conscripts do upon return?
forcibly occupy thousands of hectares of land
who led Italy at the Paris Peace Conference?
Vittorio Orlando
along with the terms of the Treaty of London, what else did Orlando seek claim to at Versailles?
the Croatian port of Fiume
he claimed that it had an Italian majority (but this was far from the case)
what view did the Allies hold of Italy?
that it had performed poorly in the war and thus was undeserving of great power status
what part of the Treaty of London did the Allies reject in 1919?
parts of the Balkans
the Dodecanese islands
and Orlando’s claim to Fiume
why was Orlando’s handling of the terms of the Versailles agreement an example of liberal weakness?
he had left the conference early, in anger
this allowed the French and British to handpick the African colonies for themselves
had no reason to give Italy anything
showed Italy as in a lower position to the other powers in Europe
which land did Italy acquire after the war?
Trent
Trieste
Istria
northern Dalmatia
what did d’Annunzio label the Italian terms of the treaty?
a mutilated victory
who replaced Orlando in June 1919?
Nitti
what actions did Nitti take to anger the Italian people?
gave up claims to Dalmatia and Fiume in the hopes of a stronger relationship with the Allies
reduced military spending
issued deserters during the war amnesties
which groups of Italians were angry at Nitti’s actions?
the Nationalists and the military
what was Nitti called?
cagoia
how did would the Fascists later use the Versailles settlement to win support?
they claimed that Italy needed a strong government who would fight for Italian interests abroad, not a weak liberal government who have humiliated Italy
what were the new right-wing groups made up of?
ex-soldiers and nationalists who were angry by the Liberal state
when was the occupation of Fiume?
12 September 1919
how many men did d’Annunzio take to seize Fiume?
2000
when did the Italian navy remove d’Annunzio’s army from Fiume?
25 December 1920
15 months later
what had the occupation of Fiume shown about fascism?
it was popular amongst Italians
many Italians saw d’Annunzio as a hero, showing that fascism had a strong place in Italian society
also showed fascism to be anti-liberal as it took advantage of the failures of the Liberal state by using violence and decisive action
who had learnt the most from the occupation of Fiume?
Mussolini:
- saw the power of violent intervention
- saw the popularity of fascism
- saw a weakness in the Liberal state which he could exploit to take over Italy
