Mussolini - Economy

Question 1

When was the Vidoni pact and what did it do?

Answer 1

1925 vidoni pact (pleased industrialists )

Outlawed socialist and catholic trade unions and only recognised facist synidicates ( facist employers and employees)

Question 2

Who did Mussolini appoint as minister of finance in 1922 ?

Answer 2

Alberto de Stefani

Question 3

What was Alberto Stefanos economic policy / what reforms did he undertake ?

Answer 3

liberal economist
Focuses on reducing gov interference in the economy eg privitise the telephone sector and cut protective tariffs (made industrial groups unhappy)

Question 4

What happened to exports between 1921 and 1924 ?

Answer 4

Upturn in exports
Exports of cars , textiles and agricultral products doubled between 1922 and 1925

Question 5

In 1926 what was the exchange rate of lira to the pound ?

Answer 5

150 lira to the pound

Question 6

What did the revaluation of the lira (1927) set the new exchange rate to the pound to be ?

Answer 6

90 lira to the pound

Question 7

What happened to italian exports after the revaluation of the lira ?

Answer 7

Crippled - Italian products now almost twice as expensive
Export industries particulary textiles went into depression

Question 8

What happended to unemplyment 1926-1928 ?

Answer 8

trebled

Question 9

When was the ministry of cooperations set up ?

Answer 9

1926

Question 10

Who was the head of the ministry of cooperations and what did he believe about the role of unions ?

Answer 10

Giussepe Bottani
Saw little role for unions and wished that cooperations were a partnership of employers and technical experts from his own ministry.

Question 11

In the cooperate state, rather than workers being able to chose their own representatives who were they represented by ?

Answer 11

facist nominees

Question 12

Who did the facist officals tend to side with in disputes ?

Answer 12

Employers representatives over wages and working conditions

Question 13

In what way did the cooperations further workers intests ?

Answer 13

Issues such as sick pay and the belated introduction of paid national holidays from 1938

Question 14

Why was the cooperate state excellent propaganda for Mussolini ?

Answer 14

Used to prove he had constructed a third way between capitalism and communism

Question 15

When was the Battle for Births announced and what was its aim ?

Answer 15

Announced in may 1927 with the aim of increasing Italian pop from 40 mil to 60 mil by the 1950s
A larger pop would make Italy stronger economically and miltarily and also M hoped to improve relations with the church.

Question 16

What laws were introduced under the Battle for Births ?

Answer 16

Married men with 6 or more kids paid no tax
Contraception and abortions - banned
Medals for women with large no of kids
Employment made more avaliable to married men with children.
Loans to married couples

Question 17

Why was battle for Births a failure ?

Answer 17

Marridge rates stagnented and the bith rate declined from 1927-1936
In the late 1930s the birth rate of 102 births per 1000 was lower than the 1911 birth rate of 147 per 1000.

Question 18

Which raw materials still had to be imported in large amounts despite Mussolinis quest for autarky ?

Answer 18

kay materials like oil, coal and iron

Question 19

How many tonnes of iron ore did italy produce annualy in the late 1930s ?

Answer 19

1.8 million tonnes - this was less than a tenth of the production of Germany during this time

Question 20

Name 2 ways in which the battle for grain was a success

Answer 20

Grain imports declined 75 % 1925-1935

Average harvest rose from 5.5 million tonnes per year in the early 1920s to over 7 million tonnes 10 years later.

Question 21

What was the purpose of the battle for grain ?

Answer 21

Free Italy from the ‘slavery of foreign bread’

Question 22

Why was the battle for grain a failure ?

Answer 22

Ultimatley counter productive for Italys agricultural sector as farmers who grew other produce had to turn over their land for wheat but soil conditions more suited to the growing of citrus fruits or the production of wine and olive oil.

As a result exports of these products declined and by the late 1930s families were paying 400 lire extra in food costs in comparison to the late 1920s and living standards decline.

Also not self sufficient in fertilisers.

Question 23

What was the battle of the marshes ?

Answer 23

land reclamation project to increase the amount of land avalaible for production (linked to battle for grain and autarky)

M expands existing scheme to drain or irrigate farmland. The potine marshes (50km from Rome ) was a showcase peice.

Question 24

Success of battle for marshes ?

Answer 24

Improved public health - draining marshes removed malaria by 50 % and provoded jobs during the depression.

Question 25

What did the IMI do ?

Answer 25

Ensured major banks were prevented from collapse during the depression

Question 26

What did the IRI do during the depression ?

Answer 26

Gov buys up shares in banking and industry helping Italian comapanies survive.

Under guise of IRI Italian state became shareholders in many top Italian companies.

Question 27

Which charter set out the rights of workers ?

Answer 27

1927 labour charter sets out rights of workers. However it declared private ownership of buisnesses as the most efficient and employers were not obliged to provide annual paid holidays. Employers could also change working hours and night shifts without real consultation.

Question 28

How many cooperations were there by 1934 ?

Answer 28

Expanded to 22 cooperations

Question 29

Who did any plans put forward by the coperations have to be approved by ?

Answer 29

The central Corprative Commitee headed by Mussolini, who alone could decide what became law. Real power of the economy was thus held by Mussolini

Question 30

Why did th revaluation of the lira not make imports of foods and other products cheaper ?

Answer 30

Mussolini prevented this by placing high tariffs on foreign imports - did not help italian consumer .

Question 31

What happens to gov debt between 1922-1925 ?

Answer 31

fell from 74.8 % of GDP in 1922 to 50 % of GDP in 1925

Question 32

How was the battle of the Marshes a failure ?

Answer 32

In the south only around 5 % of the 475 million hectares of land reclaimed was actually improved nd used by farmers.

Question 33

How much did gov spending on Autarkic measures increase by between 1934 to 1938 ?

Answer 33

Doubled from 30 billion lire to 60 billion