the rise and fall of facism in italy: the liberal state Flashcards
When was Italy unified?
1870
what was the politcal system like at the point of unification?
It was a parliamentary system similar to that in Britain, and the constitution was based on that of the formerly independent kingdom of Piedmont. it was created in 1848, and was known as statuto. it guaranteed the following rights:
- equality before the law
- the right of free assembly
- a free press
what was the monarchy like in unified Italy?
unlike Britain, the King of Italy had wide-ranging political powers. he could:
- appointment and dismiss government ministers and senators, including the Prime Minister.
- control foreign policy
he was also the face of the government at times of crisis.
what was the prime ministers role in unified Italy?
- the prime minister was the head of the government
- was responsible for the day to day running of the country.
- he needed the support of parliament to keep his position and propose laws.
what was parliaments role?
- there were two chambers in Italian parliament.
- the Senate was the upper house, senators were appointed by the king for life.
- the chamber of deputies was the lower house
- the lower house was elected every 5 years and had more political power than the senate.
- government ministers were chose from the chamber of deputies.
who was part of the electorate?
there were restrictions based on age, property ownership and educational qualifications.
until 1925 only 25% of adult men could vote.
this lead to the alienation the Italian people from politics.
what were the political parties in Italy like?
political parties operated as loose groupings rather than clearly defined organisations. the most important groupings were:
- liberals
- radicals and republicans
- socialists
- catholics
- nationalists
what was industry like in liberal Itlay?
*there was considerable economic growth under PM Giolitti.
* the state invested in industries and encouraged the use of new technologies.
* cheaper iron and steel imports led to the founding of motor and engineering companies such as Fiat.
* These companies were very profitable and their profits grew by 10.6% between 1896 and 1913.
* exports grew at a rate of 4.5% a year
* the number of industrial workers increased by 2 million between 1901 and 1911.
THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THESE DEVELOPMENTS WERE GEOGRAPHICALLY RESTRICTED AND OF LIMITED SIZE COMPARED WITH ITALY’S RIVALS.
what was industrial development like in the north?
- the north west specialised in engineering and textiles *then north produced chemicals
- the north east produced steel and heavy machinery.
- the north west was particularly successful due to its geographical closeness to the rest of Europe, its transport links, pre-existing industry, accessible markers and power sources.
What was industrial development like in the south?
the south was far less modernised than the north - Giolitti’s government tried to remedy this.
Nitti, introduced policies to try and encourage development, such as laws to encourage growth, the construction of aqueducts and tax incentives and loans.
After 1900, internal tariffs were ended and free trade was introduced, this significantly damaged the southern economy.
IN 1910, NORTHERN ITALY HAD 48% OF THE NATIONS WEALTH AND PAID 40% OF THE TAXES, WHILE THE SOUTH HAD 27% OF THE NATIONS WEALTH AND PAYED 32% OF TAXES.
What agricultural developments were made?
*Italy’s economy largely depended on agricultural when it was unified in 1870. Despite this, Italy was not self-sufficient in terms of food. again productivity differed greatly in the north and south.
- the north benefitted from the introduction of new crops in the period of 1900-1910, and production levels of key crops such as wheat increased, the rich soil in the north helped this.
- Improvements in mechanisation and fertilisation also improved productivity.
- there were landless labourers when they needed them - and who sacked them when they didn’t - this lead to problems later in the period.
*the south was not without its successful products. it produced some luxury items as wine, oil and citrus. disease and drought were regular occurrences in the summer, and a series of natural disasters from 1905 to 1908 damaged the economy.
Social problems within liberal Italy
- Italy had contented with some serious social problems in the early 20th century. they included:
- poverty - there were landless labourers in both regions, and they were particularly vulnerable to poverty because they had no job security. when the landowner did not need them any more they went without work, and they often struggled to feed their families.
- disease - disease such as typhus, rickets and cholera were much more widespread in Italy than in any other European countries. poor living conditions made the spread of disease easier, and migration to the industrial towns meant that this problem only increased.
- illiteracy - more than 69% of italians were illiterate when italy unified. as with the other problems, this was linked to poverty. The wealthy could afford to pay for private school, and their children didn’t need to work to supplement the families income. Again illiteracy was higher in the south, where 80% of the population were illiterate, and in the countryside.
government efforts to address social problems
giolitti’s government did try and improve the situation for Italy’s poor. they introduced the following policies:
- sickness, accident and pension schemes.
- raising the minimum working age to 12
- setting a maximum number of working hours.
- placing responsibility for primary schooling on central government, which was more interested in increasing literacy than regional authorities.
- passing laws to establish public school holidays and provide free treatment for malaria.
hospitals also improved during this period, meaning that more people were cured of illness and life expectancy increased.
