The Liberal state 1911-1918

Question 1

What principles was the unified state based on?

Answer 1

The unified state was based on Liberal principles

Question 2

What was the main problem for the new government in Italy?

Answer 2

They needed to create a unified national Identity for the Italians. To join the ‘Legal’ Italy with the ‘real’ Italy.

Question 3

How did the Italian feels seperated from the state?

Answer 3

• People living on the borders were still classifying themselves as Italians.
• The population didn’t have a role in the unification which caused them to feel detached.
• Many Italians did not support the Risorgimento.
• The poor were not part of the electorate.
• The church was able to influence the Italians to not take part in politics.

Question 4

Why was it hard to create an identity for Italy?

Answer 4

Political leaders struggled to create an identity for Italy as:

• Italy had been fragmented politically, economically and culturally since the Middle Ages
• Italian’s were defined by campanilismo instead of a national identity
• They weren’t unified by language as 99% spoke a regional dialect

Question 5

What is some evidence that Italy wasn’t truly unified?

Answer 5

• 100 protesters were killed in a brutal government crackdown in Milan whilst protesting against the growing economic problems and Italy’s poor political system.
• 29th July 1900 king Umberto I was assassinated by an Italian anarchist avenging the protester’s deaths.

Question 6

What was the the main poltical problem in Italy?

Answer 6

• To answer the Roman question between the church and the state.This was because the church lost some of it Papal territories.
• the creation of the national conservative party to to be prevented.
• Less than 25% of men in Italy could vote.-The excessive use of transformissmo

Question 7

What were some of the economic in unified Italy?

Answer 7

• Unification led Italy to be in debt of 2.4 billion lires= meant more taxes for the already poor peasants to pay more off.= governments couldn’t afford education and public services because of this debt. =more unemployment by the rise in population/

Question 8

What were some of the soical problems of unified Italy?

Answer 8

• In 1901, 75% of the population of Basilicata (a southern province) were illiterate. Poor health was also widespread in the south, and 20–30% of all deaths there were caused by malaria.
• Other social problems in the south included organised crime (the Mafia), frequent peasant violence, and emigration to the USA. Agriculture in the north was much more successful.
• The politicians saw the questione meridionale ( Southern question) as a big problem and had policies to encourage investment in the South but the actions didn’t make any difference in improving the lives of the Southern peasantry.
• Between 1901- 1913 around 200,000 Southern Italians left Italy every year to try and get a better chance of living.

Question 9

What were some of the Problems of Italy as a great power?

Answer 9

• Geographically disadvantaged compared to other European powers
• Italian foreign policy characterised by irredentism - Britain allows Italy to colonise Abyssinia but fails to do so in the Battle of Adwa (500 Italians Killed).= could only spend 10 million for military prep compared to Britain who had 50 million.

Question 10

What factors made up Giolittis government?

Answer 10

His relationship with the socialists

• His relationship with the Church
• His relationship with the nationalists
• His foreign policy- advocate of Transformisso

Question 11

What were relations like with the socialists?

Answer 11

• With the liberal socialists relations were good as Giolitti was able to make reforms for workers by ‘absorbing’ socialist deputies into the political system by offering a number of reforms
  ie) the compulsory accident insurance in industrial work paid for by employers, limiting the working day for women to 11 hours (1902) etc. further reforms introduced in 1913. Most important was 1906 policy of establishment of arbitration courts that would decrease need for workers strikes= wage rose by 25% in 1913
• With radical socialists (maximalists) these actions were not enough for them and often came into conflict with the nationalist and the church

Question 12

Waht were relations like with the Cathlic Church?

Answer 12

-Though Giolitti was able to make the divorce bill to ‘disappear’ to help gain the trust from the church,Gioliiti was more intrested in gaining the support from the socailsits.Though accepting any support from the church Giolitti thought the PSI should be prioritzed as it would encourage the workers to support the liberal state

Question 13

What were relations like with the nationalists?

Answer 13

The failures of Adowa + failures of the values of the Risoegimento=thought only the aggressive foreign policy of regaining the irredente lands. Had the support of the educated working class who wanted to get rid of the threat of the socialist parties. The nationalists then created the ANI in 1910 to bring the diff forms of nationalisms into an organised party under Corradini

Question 14

What was Liberal Italy’s foreign policy like?

Answer 14

• Triple alliance= clashed with Austria over Balkans.
• Invasion of Libya: 1902 treaty with France said that if Italy backed France with Morocco=France backs Italy with Libya.

Question 15

What were the Impacts of the invasion of Libya?

Answer 15

The war cost 3,000 Italians + 50,000 troops in Libya to pacify the Arab population. The war=increased support for the ANI as nationalists took credit for winning. War destroyed relations with the Socialists= extreme PSI kicked out those socialists that supported the liberal government= more extreme the PSI= harder for absorbing and transformismo.

Question 16

What was the extension of Franchaise?

Answer 16

1912- vote extended to all men that did the military service and are also over the age of 30 regardless of literacy skills

Question 17

What ever the effects of the extenion of Franchaise?

Answer 17

Hoped for the support of the liberals to increase as it included the rural areas which were more conservative whilst the cities were influenced by the PSI. The first elections in 1913, liberals faced losses will the others make gains= liberals became heavily reliant on the catholic church. By June 1914(under Salandra) PSI called for a national strike after three protesters were shot dead-> anarchists, republicans and other radicals joined in (red week) which showed how Italy was very divided on class and ideological grounds

Question 18

What happened at capoetto?

Answer 18

1916 Austria launched the strafexpedition (major offensive in Trentine salient) so that it could attack Verona and Bologna= further reduced the morale of the soldiers and caused criticism for Salandra

Question 19

Effecs of caporetto?

Answer 19

Caporetto caused:10,000 Italians killed, 30,000 wounded and 300,000 taken prisoner, 400,000 soldiers.After caporetto the PM was changed to Orlando who reorganised the army with a new general called Diaz-> focused more on increasing the morale of the soldiers=casualty rates fell considerably-> 520,000 in 1917 to 143,000 in 1918

Question 20

What was war economy like?

Answer 20

Fiat to become the leading truck and lorry manufacturer in. By the end of the war Italy was able to produce more heavy artillery than Britain could. This was because of Dallolio who organised the recruitment of women and peasants. Workforce increased from 6000-30,000.

Question 21

What were the effects of WW1?

Answer 21

National debt was 84.9 Billion lire by June 1919. War production was mainly based in the North=division between S and N. By 1917 real wages had fallen to 25% at a time. More social division when industrialist earned profit and when there were more indirect taxes as the poor were more affected.

Question 22

What was the significane of the victory?

Answer 22

Vittorio Veneto was the greatest moment of history for Italy= the nationalists took advantage of the victory. However even though they won, they won at such a large cost of:650,000 casualties

Question 23

what were the social effects of the war?

Answer 23

The southern conscripts went back and pushed for the land reforms that were promised to them= forcefully occupied farmlands. The north faced social division as well between those who were conscripted and those who stayed behind to maintain the industries for war production. Divide was due to the soldiers seeing the industries as cowardly and just wanted to get wealthier.

Question 24

What was the mutilated victory?

Answer 24

Paris Peace conference when the allies thought Italy was not deserving of getting the lands that were promised in the Treaty of London as Italy’s efforts during the war didn’t justify the lands that Italy wanted. Orlando’s position in Versailles was weakened that even the British and the French had occupied the German African colonies-> In June forced to resign as prime minister.