Problems facing liberal Italy 1870-96 Flashcards
What % of the new Italian population had the vote?
2
What did this mean?
That the new state was to be dominated by representatives of the wealthy and middle classes, and these were overwhelmingly liberals
What were these liberals sometimes referred to as?
The liberal oligarchy, as it parliament was controlled by a relatively small group of liberal politicians who formed a wealthy, educated elite
What did they see themselves as?
An educated elite who would lead Italy towards national unity, economic prosperity and great power status
What would they find in their way?
Formidable obstacles
Why was it so hard to form a sense of national identity?
There was a long standing history of political division
Why were normal Italians not on the same page as the liberals with regards to national identity?
Only a very small proportion had had any role in bringing about unification and loyalties tended to be towards the family or immediate locality rather than the nation
How did language complicate matters further?
Only 2% of the population spoke Italian. The great majority spoke dialects that were almost unintelligible outside of their local area
What did the liberal governments believe was necessary for Italy to become a major power?
It must be truly united, with the public viewing themselves as Italians
What made the Catholic Church such a powerful force in Italian society?
It claimed at least nominal allegiance of most of the population
What was its reaction to the new united Italy?
It was bitterly resentful as they saw it as having seized Rome and the papal states from them
How did the pope respond?
He refused to recognise the new state and instructed catholics to boycott all elections
How did the relationship between church and state develop in the years that followed?
The ban on participating in elections was lifted in the 1890s, but distrust between the church and liberal regime remained a factor in Italian politics up until WWI
Give a statistic to show how Italy was still predominantly an agricultural country
68% of the population was dependent on the land for at least part of their livelihood
Where could most of the always poverty stricken farm labourers and peasants be found?
The south
Describe industry at this time?
Underdeveloped; most enterprises were small scale, centring around workshops and skilled craftsmen
Why was heavy industry at a disadvantage?
Due to the lack of natural resources, mainly iron and coal
Why was the development of iron, steel and shipbuiliding not comprehensive?
It was largely limited to military purposes and railways and was concentrated in the north
Why was economic underdevelopment a problem for the government?
It meant that they received relatively little in taxes, making it more difficult for them to finance such projects as the expansion of schooling or the build up of the armed forces
What had the new Italian political system been partly based on?
Britain
In what two ways was the Italian political system different?
There were no clearly defined political parties and there was no two party system
What was the consequence of the fact that the poor couldn’t vote for the composition of parliament?
Politicians were mainly drawn from the professional, wealthy middle classes and represented this narrow social class in parliament
How did the liberals prevent the emergence of a traditional party system?
They were not divided by ideology and had few differences of opinion. As a result, there seemed to be no need for formal political parties that might do things like draw up policy, select leaders and discipline dissenting members
What did deputies do in the absence of political parties?
Clustered around the prominent politicians and formed factions
How would these factions form a government?
A number of factions would agree to support each other and form a government, dividing up ministerial posts between them
What was the name given to this political system?
Transformismo
Define transformismo
Different political factions forming coalitions regardless of ideological differences - allowing former political opponents to put aside their differences and form a government
How did this system lead to instability?
These alliances were fragile and when a leading politician felt aggreived over an issue he would withdraw his faction’s support and the government would fall
Give a statistic to indicate this instability
Italy had 29 PMs between 1870-1922
What did critics think this instability showed about the political system?
They indicated that liberal governments were not about principles or the good of the nation; it was simply the pursuit of power for its own sake
