The Liberal State, c1911-18 - Economic and social problems Flashcards
Who was the main divide and Italy between?
The North and the South
Where was economic growth mostly concentrated?
In the North.
What was the negative problem facing the south?
Well-intentioned agricultural policies
What did people feel about the Government’s economic policies?
That they had not improved their lives
What did this disapproval of the Government’s economic policies lead to later on?
Support for increasingly radical political groups.
Under what PM was there considerable econ growth?
Giovanni Giolitti
How did the state under Giolitti encourage econ growth?
- encouraged the use of new technologies
- invested in industries
How did cheaper iron and steel imports help?
They led to the founding of motor and engineering companies such as Fiat between 1899 and 1906.
What industry began producing sulphuric acid, rubber and electric cables?
Pirelli and Montecatini.
Were these industries profitable?
YES! Their profits grew by 10.6 per cent between 1869 and 1913.
How much did exports rise by?
4.5 per cent per year
What was the increase in industrial workers?
2 million between 1901 and 1911.
Despite this, what was the problem with these developments?
They were geographically restricted and limited in size compared to Italy’s rivals.
Where was industry generally restricted to in Italy?
The North, with some developments elsewhere in Naples, Veneto and Tuscany, and some sulphur mines in Sicily.
What was produced where in the North?
- The north-west- engineering and textiles
- North- chemicals
- North- east- steel and heavy machinery
Why was the North-West particularly successful in industry?
Because of its geographical closeness to the rest of Europe, its transport links, pre-existing industry, accessible markets and power sources.
What was the limitation in the North’s development?
It was not evenly spread- in 1911, Milan, Genoa and Turin accounted for 55% of industrial income.
Why was Italian industrial developments limited and localised, even in the North?
- There was a need to import Iron, steel and coal because of the lack of resources
- Italy had a large but unskilled workforce
- Industrial machinery needed to be imported
- Communications, transport and energy sources were undeveloped in most areas.
What did Italy’s economy largely depend on when it was Unified?
Agriculture
What were most of the population dependent on to support themselves and their families?
The land
Despite most of Italians living off the land, was Italy self sufficient in terms of food?
No.
What did the North benefit from in the period 1890-1910?
- The introduction of new crops
- The increase in production levels of key crops such as wheat.
- The rich land, for example Po Valley.
- Irrigation and drainage systems protected farms from flooding.
- Improvements in mechanisation and fertilisation.
What did the South produce?
Luxury items such as wine, oil and citrus fruits.
Why was the land of poorer quality in the South?
- Deforestation.
- A series of natural disasters 1905-1908
- Disease and drought were regular occurrences in the summer.
Why did southerners believe that the northern politicians did not care about them?
Because government financial support was slow to arrive.
What did economist, Francesco Saverio Nitti, do to try and encourage development?
Introduce policies, such as Laws, the construction of adequates and tax incentives and loans.
What happened in the South after 1900 in an attempt to encourage development?
Free trade was introduced and internal tariffs were ended.
Why did Giolitti’s attempt at remedifying the Southern economy further damage the Italian economy?
Southern elites wanted to protect their traditional privileges rather than introduce change and modernity.
How were the inherent serious economic problems in the early 20th century made worse?
By the economic weakness of the country, including poverty, disease and illiteracy. (These problems were even worse in the South because of their weaker economy).
What was the issue surrounding larger farm owners?
They employed landless laborers when they needed them, and quickly discarded them when they didn’t.
What was the problem with poverty in the south?
Due to the weaker economy in the south and lack of job security, landless labourers were very vulnerable to poverty.
What health problem arose from poverty?
Diseases such as typhus, rickets and cholera was much more widespread in Italy than in many European countries.
What diseases killed many people in the South, even until the 1930s?
Tuberculosis and malaria.
What factors increased spread of disease?
- migration to the industrial towns
- poor living conditions
What % of the population was Illiterate in the south.
80
What social problem was linked to poverty?
Literacy rates
What overall % of Italians were illiterate?
69
What policies were introduced by Giolitti in an attempt to improve the situation for the poor?
- sickness, accident and pension schemes
- raising the minimum working age to 12
- setting the maximum working day to 14 hours
- placing responsibility for primary schooling on the central government.
- reducing food tax to make food more affordable
- passing laws to establish public holidays
- free treatment for Malaria
What evidence is there that Giolitti’s attempts suceeded?
- hospitals also improved in this period, meaning that more people were cured of illness and life expectancy increased. (By 1914, life expectancy was the same as other Europeans).
- National average for illiteracy was 37.6%, from 69% (although illiteracy was still much higher in the South, the situation was improving).
- The number of schools had increased.
What led to many Italians wanting to move abroad or elsewhere within Italy?
Poverty and economic hardship- made them seek to improve their lives.
Where did thousands of Italians move as a result of economic hardship?
Into towns to seek employment, although this was largely limited to the northern cities.
How many Italians emigrated overseas after 1890?
200,000
How many Italians emigrated overseas in 1912-13 alone?
around 1.5 million- most of them from the south
Why was the high emigration rate considered a disaster for Italy?
Because people whose skilled could have been used to strengthen Italy were leaving for the USA, South America etc.
