Neutrality crisis and WW1

Question 1

What group had Italy been apart of? Why did the treaty obligations not apply?

Answer 1

Despite being part of the Triple alliance since 1882, Italys treaty obligations didn’t apply since the Austrian gov hadn’t consulted the Italians before declaring war on Serbia

Question 2

What was the effect of Italys declaration of neutrality on parliament?

Answer 2

It split the liberals and set off a political crisis

Question 3

What did PM Salandra argue about intervention?

Answer 3

That Italy should enter the war, fearing that if Germany had won they wouldn’t be sympathetic to an ally who didn’t come to their side at such a critical time.

HOWEVER, in the event of a victory for the Triple Entente, Italy would not see any of her ambitions in the Med realised

Question 4

What other reason did Salandra encourage intervention?

Answer 4

It would give him the opportunity to introduce repressive legislation that would offer an authoritarian solution to Italy’s problems. In addition with an Italian victory, Salandra wouldn’t be challenged

Question 5

Who did Salandra begin secret talks with?

Answer 5

Salandra and Sonninno, the foreign minister, began secret discussions with Britain, France, Germany and Austria

Question 6

What fundamentally shaped the decision of Salandra as to who he should support?

Answer 6

Irredentism- The entente offered the best deal regarding the return of irredentist lands to Italy

Question 7

When did Italy formally commit to the support of the Entente?

Answer 7

26 April 1915- The Treaty of London; pledged to support Britain, France & Russia

Question 8

Which political groupings/ individuals opposed intervention?

Answer 8

The PSI, the Catholic Party, the Pope

The prefects, local government councils, reported there was no appetite for war outside of the major cities

Question 9

What evidence is there that the Treaty of London left parliament divided?

Answer 9

In Early May, Giolitti and 300 deputies announced their opposition to the Treaty of London leaving parliament totally divided

Question 10

Why did Salandra remain in power despite his resignation?

Answer 10

The King asked Giolitti to form a new ministry, yet said that if Italy did not honour the Treaty of London it would have betrayed both sides, and more importantly stated he would abdicate if the treaty wasn’t honoured, which would catalyse a political crisis in Italy

In this context, G refused the kings offer and Salandra was reinstated as PM on the 16 May

Question 11

When did Italy officially declare war?

Answer 11

On 25 May 1915, Italy officially declared war on Austria

Question 12

Which grouping encouraged intervention?

Answer 12

The Nationalists

Question 13

How much did Fiats workforce increase by during the war?

Answer 13

It increased from 6,000 to 30,000

Question 14

What was concerning about industrial growth during the war? What was the impact of this?

Answer 14

For the Industrialists there was almost no risk concerned as they were backed by the government.

However, worryingly for the long term, this growth was based almost entirely on government investment in war production, which had been paid for by foreign loans and printing more money

The end of the war would see inevitable inflation

Question 15

How much debt did Italy find itself in?

Answer 15

23 billion lire, compared with 2.9 billion pre-war

Question 16

What can be said about the state of the Italian economy during WW1?

Answer 16

It was unbalanced, with few war-based sectors growing at a much faster rate than other industries

Question 17

How did economic ramifications exacerbate social tensions?

Answer 17

The majority of war production was based in the north-east, and so industrial growth in these areas accentuated the north-south division.

Question 18

What evidence elucidates the economic disparity between the south and north of Italy?

Answer 18

-The south remained a predominantly impoverished agricultural society

-In the north the economy grew by 20% between 1911 and 1921 ; the south grew increasingly bitter

Question 19

How was there economic discontent in the North? What did wages fall by?

Answer 19

Workers were angry that they had to work long hours and were experiencing a fall in real wages by about 25%, while industrialist were making vast profits

Question 20

How did gov policy change to pay for the war? What was the effect of this?

Answer 20

The Gov increased indirect taxes to pay for the war effort and this intern exacerbated social divisions, as the poor were more heavily affected

Question 21

Who was industrial success driven under? What policies did he enact?

Answer 21

The Secretariat of arms and munitions- Alfredo Dallolio

He organised the recruitment of women and peasants into factories eg 1/4 of all munitions factory employees were women

Question 22

What evidence is there that at the start of the war Italy was behind Austria in nearly all economic areas?

Answer 22

-Italy produced 1 million tonnes of steel, the Austrians 2.6 million

-For every 2 machine guns per Italian battalion, the Austrians had 12

Question 22

What evidence is there that at the start of the war Italy was behind Austria in nearly all economic areas?

Answer 22

-Italy produced 1 million tonnes of steel, the Austrians 2.6 million

-For every 2 machine guns per Italian battalion, the Austrians had 12

Question 23

How many planes did Italy’s aeronautical industry produce?

Answer 23

6500 in 1918

Question 24

What is the significance of the growth of Fiat over the course of the war? What was the extent of growth?

Answer 24

Italy made significant economic improvements:
-Fiat established itself as Italys leading truck and lorry manufacturer, producing 2500 vehicles in 1918 alone

Question 25

By the end of the war how much had Italian industry produced?

Answer 25

-20,000 machine guns
-7,000 pieces of heavy artillery

Question 26

What were conditions like for soldiers?

Answer 26

Horrific- thousands of Italians were killed by cholera and frostbite

Question 27

How many men were conscripted? What was their stance?

Answer 27

Nearly 5 million men were conscripted, with the majority of them being peasants or agricultural workers. The idea of the war concerning Italian expansion meant very little to them.

Question 28

Why was the high concentration of peasant conscripts a problem?

Answer 28

The majority of peasant conscripts who spoke a vast range of dialects couldn’t understand the orders being given to them by officials who were predominantly educated northern Italians

Question 29

Who was the Harsh Italian commander? What was his solution to the issues brought about by peasant conscripts? How many sentences were passed?

Answer 29

Luigi Cardona-
His solution to the lack of discipline and morale was to use harsh punishments
Military tribunals passed 4000 death sentences on Italian soldiers for desertion and indiscipline

Question 30

What was the attitude of Italian soldiers who had survived camps?

Answer 30

They came out with a strong sense of abandonment and considerable anger towards the government

Question 31

When was the Battle of Caporetto?

Answer 31

24 October 1917

Question 32

What happened at Caporetto? (Casualties)

Answer 32

-400,000 soldiers vanished eg lost contact with their regiments/returned home
-10,000 Italians were killed
-30,000 wounded
-300,000 were taken prisoner

Question 33

Which commander replaced Cardona? What did he do?

Answer 33

General Diaz
He was more focused on holding the Italian line on the Piave river and avoiding the needless sacrifice of soldiers in suicidal offensives

Question 34

How much did casualties decrease by under Diaz?

Answer 34

Fell from 520,000 in 1917 to 143,000 in 1918

Question 35

Who took over from Bosselli as PM? What was the effect of this on soldiers?

Answer 35

The young and dynamic Vittorio Orlando became PM; Rations for soldiers and annual leave were increased.

Promises of land reforms were made to peasant conscripts and in December 1917, an organisation was created to look after the welfare of soldiers and their families

Question 36

How did Orlando re-ignite morale?

Answer 36

There was a greater focus on boosting soldiers morale through lectures and trench newspapers

Question 37

What policies did Alfred Dallolio implement?

Answer 37

He organised peasants into factories, increased hours of work, made strikes illegal and workers faced military tribunals if their behaviour was deemed unsatisfactory

Question 38

Where were there riots? What was the effect of this?

Answer 38

Following riots in Turin in August 1917 whereby 50 workers were killed, politicians made steps to increase food supplies and pro-war propaganda

Question 39

Why did the government hamper attempts to help Italian prisoners? What was the effect of this?

Answer 39

Italian leaders feared that if soldiers heard the prisoner of war camps were tolerable, they may be inclined to surrender.

Thus the government hampered any attempts to help Italian prisoners; eg 600,000 who had been captured were left to survive on 1000 calories a day & 100,000 died of hunger related illness

Question 40

How many Italians died in 1915?

Answer 40

62,000 during 2 attempted offensives against the Austrians that failed to change the situation at the front

Question 41

What followed Italys declaration of war?

Answer 41

2 Years of stalemate, where soldiers were needlessly sacrificed in order to move a few hundred metres

Question 42

What occurred during the humiliating defeat at the Battle of Caporetto?

Answer 42

Poor leadership and low morale saw the Italian army dissolve and a chaotic retreat took place whereby Italian soldiers streamed down the mountains

Question 43

What was the ramifications of the defeat at Caporetto?
Which politicians actions elucidate this?

Answer 43

The actions of Italian troops in the face of the Austrian offensive was an embarrassment to leadership, who only months before had claimed the war had brought about patriotic unity

One Italian senator Leopaldo Franchetti was so overwhelmed by the nature of caparetto that he killed himself

Question 44

What was the stance of the PSI during the war? What was the consequence of this?

Answer 44

The PSI opposed the war, declaring a policy of ‘neither support nor sabotage’ ; led to polarisation of politics

This stance was despised by nationalists and many liberals who saw it as defeatist, unpatriotic and a cause of Italys poor military performance

Question 45

What was the effect of caporetto on the PSI?

Answer 45

In hysteria at Caporetto, many PSI leaders were arrested and imprisoned, accused of ‘stabbing Italy in the back’

Mussolini blamed socialists stating they were a more dangerous enemy than the Austrians, calling for a uniting leader

Question 46

What did caporetto re-ignite?

Answer 46

Divisions that had surfaced during the intervention crisis of 1914-15. Neutralist politicians were blamed for Italy’s failings, with many of the ANI calling for a revolution to depose of them, with calls for Giolitti to be put on trial

Question 47

When were tensions reduced?

Answer 47

The battle of Vittorio Veneto (24 October 1918); came to symbolise the greatest moment of the Italian nation, with nationalists claiming Italy had achieved through patriotism and self-sacrifice

Question 48

What happened at the battle of Vittorio Veneto?

Answer 48

An offensive on Piave was launched, whereby the Austrian army were split in 2 and forced to sign an armistice on the 4 November