The red week Flashcards
What was the initial spark for red week on the 7 June 1914?
70 policemen tried to prevent 200 workers from marching into the centre of Ancona. A clash broke out wich ended in the death of three demonstrators
What did Mussolini urge the socialist party to do?
Call a general strike throughout Italy
What was the response in subversive central areas, like Romagna?
The response was so violent that both trade union leaders and the authorities lost control
What happened on June 10 in the small town of Fabriano?
They proclaimed a republic and hoisted the red flag
What had happened just two days after the outburst?
All the agitation had ceased and the leaders of both the forces of order and the leaders of the popular parties had been sedated
What was the size of the electorate at the turn of the century?
3 million, out of a population of 32 million
Where was most of the electorate located?
In the Northern and central areas
Why can the events of red week be reconstructed at such remarkable detail?
Thanks to transcripts of telephone conversations between the leaders of the PSI and the CGL, tapped by the police and preserved in the state archives
What do the telephone transcripts reveal about the revolutionary leaders?
The extent to which they were taken by surprise and unprepared to capitalise on the revolutionary situation
What had the CGL and PSI already agreed in January 1913 that made red week almost inevitable?
They had agreed on strike action if more deaths occured
Why was there so much ambiguity over strike action?
The majority of CGL organisations had voted for a formal strike over a limited time period, whereas the maximalist leaders of the party wanted an indefinite strike
What were the maximalists worried about?
That the syndicalists would precede them in announcing strike action
What did the maximalists do on the morning of the 8th June?
Persuaded the party driectorate to announce a strike without mentioning where it would end and waiting for the decisions of the CGL leaders, who were to meet at Genoa on the 9th
Why did maximalists leader Vella refuse to communicate with the CGL?
He didn’t even telephone the CGL secretary, as had been arranged, and the telegram he sent instead was bolcked by the police
How did Rigoli, the general secretary of the CGL, learn about the strikes?
He learned of the strike through the party newspaper office on the afternoon of the 8th of June
Which two groups proclaimed a general strike, on the same day as the maximalists?
The USI and the republican party
Which was the only union that delayed their strikes until the next day, and why did they do this?
Only the railwaymen’s union, the most verbally aggresive union arousing accusations they did this to give time for army and police reinforcements to arrive in Ancona.
Why were railway strikes so ineffective?
- 104 of its telegrams to local groups were blocked
- Only two of the five personal messengers reached their destinations without delay
- Thus, the railway system was interrupted, but never brought to a standstill
How long did the general strike last for?
It lasted two days, as it was called off by Rigola on the evening of the 10th of June at the pressing invitation of many local federations
What had happened even before Rigola had sent out his order to cancel the general strikes?
The revolutionary syndicalist headquaters in Parma had ordered its end, as the strikes had failed to paralyse the country
What had local leaders failed to do during the two day general strike?
Proved incapable of offering purposeful direction where the most violent demonstrations had broken out
What had happened by the second day of the general strike?
Counter-demonstrations of nationalist students and bourgeois citizens threatened further bloodshed
Where was the strike most successful?
In areas where unions had developed most strongly. In central Italy, especially areas like Emilia and Romagna
In what city were the strikes relatively limited?
Rome
