The impact of Fascist economic policies on Italian agriculture Flashcards
What did M not concern himself with in terms of agriculture?
The underlying problems
What were these underlying problems?
The existence of a sizeable class of poor, land-hungry peasants and the use of backward, inefficient farming methods
What did he do to agriculture as he had done to industry?
He occupied himself with projects that would either increase his personal power and prestige, or supposedly help Italy become a self sufficient state in case of war
What was his first major scheme?
The battle for grain
What was the battle for grain?
fascism’s attempt to make Italy self sufficient in the production of grain and therefore bread
When did the battle for grain begin?
1925
What was it an attempt to promote?
Fascist power and national self sufficiency
What had Italy traditionally needed to do to feed its people?
Import large amounts of grain
Why did M see this as a grave weakness?
Because in a time of war supplies could be cut off and the country would face starvation
What would the battle for grain also do apart from solving this problem?
Illustrate to the world just how dynamic the fascist movement is
What did the government do for farmers as a result of the scheme?
- It offered grants to enable them to buy tractors, fertilisers and other machinery necessary for wheat production
- Free advice was made available on the newest efficient farming techniques
- They were guaranteed a high price for the grain they produced
Give some statistics to show how these incentives worked?
- The average harvest rose from 5.5 million tonnes per year in the early 1920s to over 7 million tonnes 10 years later
Give a statistic to show how grain imports declined sharply?
They dropped 75% between 1925-35
What was the result of the battle for grain being a resounding success for M?
He claimed the credit
What did he ensure that press photographers were on hand to do?
Record him visiting farms and helping out the harvest
What were the two main reasons that the battle for grain improved M’s popularity?
He could present himself as a genius for coming up with the scheme but he was also presented as a true leader of his people, willing to get his hands dirty in the fields
What was the major downside of the battle for grain?
Much of the land in the southern and central regions that had been turned over to wheat was unsuitable from such a crop. The soil conditions and drier, hotter climate were better suited to the growing of citrus fruits or the production of wine and olive oil. The result was that these traditional agricultural exports declined
What was the second major agricultural initiative?
Land reclamation and improvement
What did this scheme also receive?
Major publicity
How had previous governments made a start here?
They had provided money to drain or irrigate farmland
What did M do to these schemes?
Expanded them
Which area was the showpiece of this operation?
The Pontine marshes
Why?
Because they were only 50 miles from Rome and therefore easily reached by the press
What happened on the Pontine marshes?
These malarial swamps were drained and a network of small farms were set up, owned by ex-servicemen
Why was land reclamation a success?
It improved public health and created thousands of jobs during the depression
What was the main caveat here?
The amount of land reclaimed was limited
Why did agricultural workers suffer more than industrial workers during the 1930s?
Because they suffered even heavier wage cuts
What had been the traditional way out of agricultural poverty?
Emigration
Give a statistic to prove this
In the first two decades of the century 200,000 Italians emigrated to the US each year, most of whom were southerners
What did the USA decide to do from 1920?
Virtually stop all further immigration
What did more Italians begin to do after this escape route was closed?
Left the countryside for the towns and cities to find work and a better standard of living
Give some statistics to prove this?
Up to half a million people left the land in the 1920s and 30s and the population of Rome doubled between 1921-41
What did this happen in spite of?
The fact that M tried to prevent all further migration
Why was M resistant to migration to the cities?
Because of his love of the countryside and his desire to ruralise Italy
Why did he want to ruralise Italy?
He wanted to create a prosperous class of peasants loyal to fascism
Why did these ideas not come to fruition?
Because the regime did nothing to bring this about
Why was his dream of creating a prosperous peasant class not realised?
Because his policies actually benefitted landowners more than the poor and landless peasants
What kind of legislation did these peasants need?
A law to break up big estates and to distribute them to the peasants
Why did this seem like it could happen?
Because such a law was introduced into parliament in 1922
Why did M drop this policy?
For fear of offending the great landowners, who were his political supporters
What did the failure to break up the great landed estates cement?
The underdevelopment and poverty of the south
What two things caused the gap between the industrialised north and the rural south to grow?
Liberal governments and then to an even greater extent the neglect of the fascist regime
What seems to indicate that M realised that his regime had failed to address the problems in the south?
The fact that he visited the poverty stricken island of Sicily on once after 1924
Give some statistical proof of the regime’s inability to tackle rural poverty
Italy lay 18th in a table of European states for the daily caloric intake of its citizens, with the lowest figures unsurprisingly recorded in the south
