The Giolitti Era Flashcards
When was Giolitti elected to the chamber of deputies and for whom?
At the 1882 general election for the historical left
What happened to Giolitti in March 1889?
He was selected by PM Crispi to be first minister of finance and the treasury
Why did Giolitti resign as treasury minister in 1890?
Because he disagreed with Crispi’s colonial policies
When did Giolitti become PM for the first time?
After the fall of Di Rudini’s government in May 1892, Giolitti, with the help of a court clique, received from the king the task of forming a new cabinet
Describe Giolitti’s first term as PM
Marked by misfortune and misgovernment. The business crisis and the commercial rupture with France had impaired the situation of the state banks. This was compounded by the misadministration of the Banca Romana
What did Giolitti pass in August 1893 in response the Banca Romana scandal
The bank act. This liquidated the Banca Romana and reformed the whole system of note issue, restricting the priviledge to the new Banca d’Italia. The new law failed to effect an improvement
Which group problem provided a problem for Giolitti in his first term?
Fasci Siciliani, a popular movement of democratic and socialist inspiration, which arose in Sicily between 1889-1894
Who were the fasci supported by?
The poorest and most exploited sicilians, as it put their frustration and discontent into a coherent programme of new rights
When did the fasci movement reach its peak?
The summer of 1893, when new conditions were presented to the landowners and mine owners in Sicily concerning sharecropping and rental contracts
What did the fasci do after their conditions on sharecropping and rental contracts were rejected by the land and mine owners?
An outburst of strikes spread rapidly throughout the island. Marked by violent conflict, they rose to the point of insurrection. The leaders were not able to keep the situation from getting out of control
How did the landowners respond to the fasci strikes?
They asked the government to intervene
How did Giolitti deal with the fasci strikes?
He tried to put a halt to the protests, but his measures were relatively mild. Giolitti would eventually resign on the 24 November
It took three weeks for Crispi to form a government following Giolitti’s resignation. What happened in the three weeks of chaos between the two governments?
The rapid spread of violence drove many local authorities to defy Giolitti’s ban on firearms
Describe the events of December 1893
92 peasants lost their lives in clashes with the police and army. Government buildings were burned along with flour mills and bakeries that refused to lower their prices when taxes were lowered or abolished
Why is Giolitti’s response to the fasci often seen as weak?
He did not treat strikes as a crime or authorise the use of firearms against popular demonstrations.
What was Giolitti’s policy towards the fasci strikes?
‘to allow these economic strugges to resolve themselves by improving the conditions of the workers’
What did Giolitti do for the few years immediately following his resignation?
He was compelled to play a passive part, having lost all credit. But by keeping in the background and giving public opinion time to forget his past, as well as allowing parliamentary intrigue to build, he gradually regained much of his former influence
How were the socialists useful to Giolitti as he tried to regain his influence for a second term?
He took advantage of socialist agitation by allowing them to think that if he were PM, he’d stay neutral in labour conflicts.
What did Giolitti openly oppose in 1900, in an attemot to gain popularity?
The new authoritarian public safety laws
Why was Giolitti able to dominate politics until WW1?
Because of a left shift in parliamentary liberalism
What role did Giolitti take up Zanardelli’s government between 1901-1903?
Appointed minister of the interior, but some accused him of being a de facto PM due to Zanardelli’s age
When did Giolitti become PM for the second time?
3 November 1903
What did Giolitti do to curry favour with the socialists during his second term?
- Courted the left and labour unions with social legislation
- Subsidies for low-income housing
- Preferential government contracts for worker cooperatives
- Old age and disability pensions
- Strongly opposed the repression of labour union strikes
What was Giolitti’s failure with the socialists during his second term?
He tried to form an alliance with the Italian socialist party, who were growing quickly in the popular vote, and became a friend of the Socialist leader Turati. He would have liked Turati as a minister in his cabinet, but Turati refused due to opposition from the left wing of his party
What brought about Giolitti’s second resignation?
After having to resort to strong measures in repressing disorders in certain parts of Italy, Giolitti lost the favour of the socialists. He resigned in March 1905, no longer feeling secure
Who did Giolitti indicate as his successor following his second resignation?
Fortis
What did Giolitti do when leader of the historical right Sidney Sonnini became PM in 1906?
He did not openly oppose him
What was Giolitti’s third ministry known as?
The ‘long ministry’ (lungo ministero)
Describe Giolitti’s financial policy during the lungo ministero
- Lowered interets rates from 5% to 3.75%, and then to 3.5%. The decision was conduction with careful caution and technical expertise, with the government requesting the guarantee of numerous banking associations beforehand
- The conservatives criticised the interest rate slash, but this was unfounded, as the policy immediately caused a boom in the economy and helped with the process of national unification
- The resources acquired by the interest rate cuts were used to nationalise the railways
- The decision led to economic stability
Economically speaking, what was 1906-1909 remembered as?
A time where ‘the lira was premium on gold’
Describe Giolitti’s social policy during the lungo ministero
- Introduced laws to make sure children under 12 couldn’t work and women and children couldn’t work more than 12 hours per day
- Approved special laws for the disadvantaged regions of southern Italy. The policy gave appreciable results in improving the economic conditions of southern farmers
The lungo ministero was one of the few times the socialists supported what?
A ‘bourgeois government’
How many lives were lost as a result of the 1908 Messina earthquake?
75,000-200,000
How did the Italian navy and army respond to the Messina earthquake?
Began searching, treating the injured, providing food and water and evacuating refugees
What did Giolitti impose following the Messina earthquake?
Martial law, with all looters to be shot. However, this ended up extending to foragers scavanging for food
What did Emmanuel III and Queen Elena do to boost morale?
Arrived two days after the earthquake to assist the victims and survivors
What was the global response to the Messina earthquake?
The disaster made headlines worldwide and international relief efforts were launched
What did Giolitti do after the 1909 general election?
Giolitti’s left gained 54.4% of the votes and 329 seats out of 508. Despite his strong victory, Giolitti proposed that conservative Sonnino take over. However, after a few months of his government, Giolitti withdrew his support and supported Luzzati as the new PM instead
What political debate began to take shape during Luzzati’s government?
Whether the franchise should be extended
What did the radicals, republicans and socialists think about extending the franchise?
They supported the introduction of universal manhood suffrage, believing it to be essential to a liberal democracy
What was Luzzati’s attitude to extending the franchise?
He proposed a gradual extension of the franchise, but without reaching universal manhood suffrage
What was Giolitti’s position on extending the franchise?
Declared himself to be in favour of universal manhood suffrage in a speech in the chamber of deputies. His aim was to cause Luzzati’s resignation to become PM again, he also hoped this would allow him to begin cooperation with the socialists
Why do many historians view Giolitti’s support for universal suffrage as a mistake?
- It would destabilise the entire political establishment
- ## Mass parties, like the socialists and fascists, would benefit from the new system
What quote summarises Giolitti’s stance on electoral reform?
‘Italy cannot grow economically and socially without enlarging the number of people who participate in public life’
What were the opinions on introducing female suffrage at this time?
Sonnino and Turati proposed to introduce it. Giolitti rejected it, considering it to be too risky and unpopular. He therefore thought it should only occur at the local level
How did Giolitti come to be PM for the 4th time?
Luzzatti never realised that with the chamber constituted as it was, he only held the office of PM at Giolitti’s good pleasure. Luzzatti resigned from office in March 1911 and Giolitti formed a new cabinet
What was founded by Giolitti in 1913?
Formed a liberal union coalition called ‘liberals’. The union was an alliance of left and right parties merged into a single coalition that largely dominated Italian parliament
What political concept did Giolitti become a master of?
Transformismo - which consisted of flexible centrist coalitions og government which isolated the extremes of the left and right
What did Pope Pius X do in 1904?
Informally gave Catholics permission to vote for government candidates in areas where the socialists might win. Voting for the socialists was grounds for excommunication from the Catholic church
What was the Gentiloni pact?
After collaboration with the catholic electoral Union, led by Ottorino Gentiloni, Pope Pius X lifted the ban on |atholic participation in 1913, massiively expanding the electorate. It directed Catholic voters to support Giolitti, as he agreed to favour the church’s position on such key issues as funding private Catholic schools, and blocking any law allowing divorce
Why was Giolitti in favour of the Gentiloni pact?
He understood that the time was rife for cooperation between the catholic and a liberal form of government
What was the outcome of the 1913 general election?
Giolitti’s liberal union narrowly retained an absolute majority in the chamber of deputies, with the radicals the largest opposition bloc
