The rise of Political extremism from the Left and the Right - 1919-1922

Question 1

What was formed in Jan 1919?

Answer 1

PPI - Catholic party led by Don Luigi Sturzo

Question 2

What was introduced in December 1918?

Answer 2

Universal Male Suffrage

Question 3

What was introduced in August 1919?

Answer 3

Proportional representation = 54 constituencies and 508 deputies

Question 4

What were the results of the 1919 election?

Answer 4

Anti-socialist coalition - PPI, Liberals, Social Democracy, Liberal union (Giolitti), Radicals and Italian Reformist socialists
BUT socialists won the most seats

Question 5

What were the consequences of the 1919 election?

Answer 5

Socialists angry because they think democracy has failed them

Question 6

Events of Biennio Rosso

Answer 6

June 1919: Food riots broke out in Piedmont , Nitti solved it = no violence
Late 1919: Liguria - shipbuilders and metalworkers occupied and ran their factories for 4 days
April 1920: Workers and anarchists occupied FIAT factory in Piedmont
June 1920: Tuscany - 710,000 agricultural workers staged a month long strike and won a contract
Summer 1920: Apulia - famers demanded higher wages for their crops - very violent
Nov 1920: Socialists won Bologna council, fascists waited for the socialists and fights broke out. 10 socialists dead

Question 7

How many were unemployed by November 1919?

Answer 7

2 million

Question 8

How big were socialist trade unions by late 1920?

Answer 8

2 million
Was 250,000 in 1918

Question 9

Could there have been a socialist revolution in Italy?

Answer 9

No
Lack of unification - PSI not popular in South, too focused on industrial sector AND PSI divided between moderates and maximalists
Socialists too maximalist - nobody will work with them

Question 10

How many people had the fascists in Bologna recruited by Sept 1920?

Answer 10

300 men

Question 11

How many people had the fascists recruited in Bologna by the end of 1921?

Answer 11

3000 families

Question 12

What happened in July 1921?

Answer 12

Giolitti resigned - introduced a tax on Vatican so PPI pulled support

Question 13

What was signed in August 1921?

Answer 13

Pact of Pacification

Question 14

What was the pact of pacification?

Answer 14

End of fascist violence and transformation of fascism into a political movement

Question 15

What happened in August 1920?

Answer 15

Socialist general strike, 2 million workers mobilised
Giolitti used military to stop it

Question 16

What did Mussolini do in August 1921?

Answer 16

Attempted to resign, fascists wouldn’t accept resignation

Question 17

What was founded in October 1921?

Answer 17

National fascist party (PCI) established which allowed him to control the Ras.

Question 18

1921 Election results

Answer 18

National Bloc formed - Fascists part of it. Foot in the door

Question 19

How many members did the fascist party have by 1922?

Answer 19

250,000

Question 20

What happened in February 1922?

Answer 20

Bonomi resigned because he could not control fascism

Question 21

What happened in May 1922?

Answer 21

Balbo organised squads and occupied Ferrara, demanded the government create jobs for the labourers in his ‘syndacite’

Question 22

What did Faranacci do in July 1922?

Answer 22

Led his squads on a rampage through Cremona and damaged the homes of local PPI politicians

Question 23

What happened in July-Aug 1922?

Answer 23

PSI called a general strike in the hopes that the economy would crash and the Liberals would remove the fascists

Question 24

Consequences of the 1922 general strike

Answer 24

PSI were too divided and the strike was not well organised
Fascists broke up the strikes
Liberals did nothing

Question 25

What happened on 30th October 1922?

Answer 25

March on Rome

Question 26

What happened in the March in Rome?

Answer 26

10,000 fascist squads assembled
They took Pisa, Florence, Venice, Bologna and Naples
Facta resigned and Salandra’s government failed to gain support - Mussolini said he would join as PM or nothing

Question 27

What caused the rise of fascism?

Answer 27

Liberal failings - 1919 PR, Bonomi, past failings, WW1
Fear of socialism - 1920&22 general strike, Biennio Rosso, Pact of pacification
State failure - King appointed Mussolini as PM, transformismo system