The Liberal State 1911-1918 (Key points) Flashcards
Problems facing Italy in Early 20th Century - Unification
Italy had experienced deep social divide since the Middle Ages and the idea of Italy as a nation was not recognised by the majority - instead they were defined by the loyalty to their place of birth : campanilismo
King Emmanuel ii (first king of unified Italy) only spoke in Piedmont dialect - clear impediment to the risorgimento (resurgence referring to the unification from the split of the Habsburg and Bourbons before) movement under a monarch
We have made Italy, now we must make Italians
How was King Umberto I assassinated?
EVIDENCE TO SHOW NO BELIEF IN UNIFIED ITALY
In May 1898 there were protests against the economy and the king - crackdown meant 100 protestors killed in Milan - 29th July 1900, which then caused a retaliation by anarchists who assassinated King Umberto in revenge ; he believed in violent overthrow of state and young intellectuals thought of it as a freedom movement
Problems facing Italy in early 20th century - Political System
Very narrow and predominantly northern middle class deputies who acted in their own interests at the wider expense of others Government itself was based upon politicians offering key roles to deputies who would agree to support them as PM - therefore governments were short lived (easy to withdraw support with 29 changes of PM between 1870 and 1922) Needed no skill at making successful policies - just powerful connections and alliances through corruption Political manoeuvring called trasformismo (short lived governments)
What was the Roman Question?
Split between Catholic Church and unified nation in 1870 when Pope Pius X refused to recognise legitimacy of new state - LEOXIII then formally forbade Catholics from voting - as a result robbing the people of Italy of a POTENTIALLY UNIFYING SYMBOL UNDER THE POPE AND CATHOLICISM ; challenging the church would further alienate the population - ruined another dream of United Italy under Catholicism and no wealthy Conservative party could be made thus no opposition to the liberal middle class. Thus Liberals rules because there was no political opposition and less than 25% of men had the vote
Liberal elite view?
Attitude from the liberal elite further reinforced divide between legal Italy and the people
Majority of Italians were disenfranchised
Legal Italy - 25% of men who could vote ; wealthy
People - brutally oppressed by government and were disenfranchised as they were seen to lack the correct political education
This in turn fuelled growth of revolutionary ideas such as anarchism
Social Economic problems facing Italy?
1899-1914 : considerable economic expansion centred around north (triangle 3 cities, Turin, Genoa and Milan)
Steel production and chemical/car industry boomed with agricultural production also stabilising - BUT working conditions for everyone and unemployment + famine was rife throughout the country (as with the industrial Revolution in Russia) - 1901 to 1911 : 1,500 strikes (unemployment/high taxation/food shortages)
Further accentuated North South Divide - impoverished south
What was the questione meriodinale?
Southern question where intellectuals tried to understand the reasons for South’s problems and encourage further government reforms - Italy’s PM ignored the region for 32 years after unification
Great example of political bureaucracy - nothing was actually done and no fiscal policies implemented to aid the south
South vs North
1911 North was booming based in those triangular cities of Genoa Milan and Turin with 1/2 of Italy’ workers employed in Piedmont and Lombardy and Liguria - triangle
South’s agriculturally based economy stagnated - leading to even more poverty and unemployment with high rates of infant mortality (famine) - cholera epidemic - 25000 deaths in Naples
1911 - GDP/capita North v GDP/Capita South * 2
South = North/5 literacy rates
How did the south alleviate pressure?
Through emigration to the US - 200000 Italians every year between 1901 to 1913 which decreased short term strain but they were reliant on other countries accepting unskilled Italian workers for the long term (3/4 of every Italian emigrating was from the south)
Italy as a “Great Power”?
Viewed as the least of the great powers and lagged behind massively on its foreign policy of ireedentism - movement from 1870 that asserted that Italy’s unification should move through all Italian speaking areas (although they may be under austro Hungarian rule)
French and British Navies dominated the Mediterranean and South Tyrol and Istria were both Italian speaking and ethnically speaking lands but Italy could not reclaim these irredente lands because it did not have the power and diplomatic relations to take on Austria Hungary etc
Italy’ quest for colonialism
Essential for being respected as a great power but here too Italy failed
TUNISIA - 1881 the French took it from Italy (who were interested because of Tunisia’s economic interests) so the government was outraged and signed a triple alliance with Germany and Austria ; which outraged the public as Austria were traditionally Italy’s enemies (Habsburg rule) and were the barrier to reclaiming the irredente lands
1894 - Italy sought to gain Abyssinia but this ended with the Battle of Adwa in 1896 (1st March) where 5000 Italian troops were killed
Italy’s PM Crispi thought that colonisation will help reignite patriotic passion in the country but instead just further humiliated the people and fuelled further anger towards the political class (leading to the riots of 1898 etc) - CATALYST leading to political turmoil
