The Liberal State, c1911-18 - Economic and social problems

Question 1

Who was the main divide and Italy between?

Answer 1

The North and the South

Question 2

Where was economic growth mostly concentrated?

Answer 2

In the North.

Question 3

What was the negative problem facing the south?

Answer 3

Well-intentioned agricultural policies

Question 4

What did people feel about the Government’s economic policies?

Answer 4

That they had not improved their lives

Question 5

What did this disapproval of the Government’s economic policies lead to later on?

Answer 5

Support for increasingly radical political groups.

Question 6

Under what PM was there considerable econ growth?

Answer 6

Giovanni Giolitti

Question 7

How did the state under Giolitti encourage econ growth?

Answer 7

• encouraged the use of new technologies

- invested in industries

Question 8

How did cheaper iron and steel imports help?

Answer 8

They led to the founding of motor and engineering companies such as Fiat between 1899 and 1906.

Question 9

What industry began producing sulphuric acid, rubber and electric cables?

Answer 9

Pirelli and Montecatini.

Question 10

Were these industries profitable?

Answer 10

YES! Their profits grew by 10.6 per cent between 1869 and 1913.

Question 11

How much did exports rise by?

Answer 11

4.5 per cent per year

Question 12

What was the increase in industrial workers?

Answer 12

2 million between 1901 and 1911.

Question 13

Despite this, what was the problem with these developments?

Answer 13

They were geographically restricted and limited in size compared to Italy’s rivals.

Question 14

Where was industry generally restricted to in Italy?

Answer 14

The North, with some developments elsewhere in Naples, Veneto and Tuscany, and some sulphur mines in Sicily.

Question 15

What was produced where in the North?

Answer 15

• The north-west- engineering and textiles
• North- chemicals
• North- east- steel and heavy machinery

Question 16

Why was the North-West particularly successful in industry?

Answer 16

Because of its geographical closeness to the rest of Europe, its transport links, pre-existing industry, accessible markets and power sources.

Question 17

What was the limitation in the North’s development?

Answer 17

It was not evenly spread- in 1911, Milan, Genoa and Turin accounted for 55% of industrial income.

Question 18

Why was Italian industrial developments limited and localised, even in the North?

Answer 18

• 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.

Question 19

What did Italy’s economy largely depend on when it was Unified?

Answer 19

Agriculture

Question 20

What were most of the population dependent on to support themselves and their families?

Answer 20

The land

Question 21

Despite most of Italians living off the land, was Italy self sufficient in terms of food?

Answer 21

No.

Question 22

What did the North benefit from in the period 1890-1910?

Answer 22

• 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.

Question 23

What did the South produce?

Answer 23

Luxury items such as wine, oil and citrus fruits.

Question 24

Why was the land of poorer quality in the South?

Answer 24

• Deforestation.
• A series of natural disasters 1905-1908
• Disease and drought were regular occurrences in the summer.

Question 25

Why did southerners believe that the northern politicians did not care about them?

Answer 25

Because government financial support was slow to arrive.

Question 26

What did economist, Francesco Saverio Nitti, do to try and encourage development?

Answer 26

Introduce policies, such as Laws, the construction of adequates and tax incentives and loans.

Question 27

What happened in the South after 1900 in an attempt to encourage development?

Answer 27

Free trade was introduced and internal tariffs were ended.

Question 28

Why did Giolitti’s attempt at remedifying the Southern economy further damage the Italian economy?

Answer 28

Southern elites wanted to protect their traditional privileges rather than introduce change and modernity.

Question 29

How were the inherent serious economic problems in the early 20th century made worse?

Answer 29

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).

Question 30

What was the issue surrounding larger farm owners?

Answer 30

They employed landless laborers when they needed them, and quickly discarded them when they didn’t.

Question 31

What was the problem with poverty in the south?

Answer 31

Due to the weaker economy in the south and lack of job security, landless labourers were very vulnerable to poverty.

Question 32

What health problem arose from poverty?

Answer 32

Diseases such as typhus, rickets and cholera was much more widespread in Italy than in many European countries.

Question 33

What diseases killed many people in the South, even until the 1930s?

Answer 33

Tuberculosis and malaria.

Question 34

What factors increased spread of disease?

Answer 34

• migration to the industrial towns

- poor living conditions

Question 35

What % of the population was Illiterate in the south.

Answer 35

80

Question 36

What social problem was linked to poverty?

Answer 36

Literacy rates

Question 37

What overall % of Italians were illiterate?

Answer 37

69

Question 38

What policies were introduced by Giolitti in an attempt to improve the situation for the poor?

Answer 38

• 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

Question 39

What evidence is there that Giolitti’s attempts suceeded?

Answer 39

• 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.

Question 40

What led to many Italians wanting to move abroad or elsewhere within Italy?

Answer 40

Poverty and economic hardship- made them seek to improve their lives.

Question 41

Where did thousands of Italians move as a result of economic hardship?

Answer 41

Into towns to seek employment, although this was largely limited to the northern cities.

Question 42

How many Italians emigrated overseas after 1890?

Answer 42

200,000

Question 43

How many Italians emigrated overseas in 1912-13 alone?

Answer 43

around 1.5 million- most of them from the south

Question 44

Why was the high emigration rate considered a disaster for Italy?

Answer 44

Because people whose skilled could have been used to strengthen Italy were leaving for the USA, South America etc.