Fascist Italy - The Liberal State
- Created by: RavenF
- Created on: 05-12-19 15:00
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- The Liberal State - 1911-18
- Italy's political system
- Equality before law/ right of free assembly/ free press
- Constitutional monarchy/ elected parliament
- Kind's powers - appoint/ dismiss gov. minsters/ - control foreign policy
- PM - ran country. Chamber of Deputies elected every 5 yrs.
- Only 25% adult males could vote
- Transformismo - coalition-building. Very weak, unstable, led to lots of short-term gov.s
- Little sense of national politics or unity. Parties mostly operated as loose groupings
- Bribery often used to switch allegiance.
- Economic problems
- Divide between North/ South.
- Economic growth mostly in north.
- Agricultural policies affected south negatively.
- 1910 - northern Italy - 48% wealth, 40% of taxes. South - 27% wealth, 32% taxes.
- Economic growth under Giolitti.
- Industries, new technologies, cheaper iron/ steel imports led to founding of motor/ engineering companies like Fiat.
- Exports increased at rate of 4.5% a year.
- Industry restricted to northern Italy - esp north-west: geographical closeness to Europe, transport links, pre-existing industry etc.
- Milan, Genoa, Turin only - accounted for 55% industrial income 1911 - uneven spread in north.
- Industrial development limited - need to import steel, iron, coal/ lack of resources/ large but unskilled workforce/ imported machinery etc.
- Less modernised industry in south. Nitti - policies to encourage development e.g. laws to encourage growth/ construction of aqueducts.
- 1900 - free trade introduced - damaged southern economy, southern elites wanted to protect traditional privileges rather than introduce change.
- Agriculture
- Not self-sufficient in terms of food
- North - new crops, production levels of key crops e.g. wheat increased. Rich land, improvements in mechanisation/ fertilisation improved productivity.
- South - luxury items e.g. oil, wine
- Land of poorer quality, deforestation,regular disease/ drought. Natural disasters damaged economy.
- Divide between North/ South.
- Social problems
- Poverty/ disease/ illiteracy
- Worse in south, weaker economy.
- Disease - typhus, rickets, cholera - more widespread in Italy than anywhere else in Europe.
- Tuberculosis/ malaria killed many in the south
- Bad living conditions helped spread of disease - led to migration to industrial towns.
- Migration out of Italy - hazardous journey, no guarantee of success - skills could have been used to strengthen Italy
- Unified Italy - very low literacy rates - linked to poverty. Higher in south, 80% illiterate.
- Giolitti's gov. -
- Hospitals improved, life expectancy increased.
- 1911 - national illiteracy average at 37.6%.Nearly dropped by half.
- Sickness/ accident/ pension schemes - min. working age at 12 yrs - max. number of working hours - reduced food rates to make food affordable.
- Poverty/ disease/ illiteracy
- Giolitti's gov.
- PM 1903-14 - skilled politician
- Manipulator/ prepared to use bribery/ offers of promotions.
- Good at Transformismo - forming successful coalitions.
- Vision - stronger, united, modernised, so introduced modernising policies.
- Policies related to welfare/ literacy/ economic prosperity. Led to significant improvements, didn't help everybody.
- Economic production still prioritised over worker grievances - so workers continued to support unions/ parties that protected their interests.
- Policies related to welfare/ literacy/ economic prosperity. Led to significant improvements, didn't help everybody.
- Targeted Socialists to join his coalitions.
- Socialists believed his reforms aimed to avoid political instability rather than helping the people
- Appealed successfully to Catholic vote. Wary - didn't want to make promises he couldn't keep. Alliance wasn't stable permanent.
- Nationalists - opposed to Giolitti's methods, hated his foreign policy.
- Understimated as a threat.
- PM 1903-14 - skilled politician
- Foreign policy 1911 - Italy/ Libya
- Sep 1911 - Italy invaded Libya
- Reasons: assert colonial claims in North Africa - Italian businesses establish investments in Libya - to weaken Nationalist support.
- Local Arabs saw them as invaders rather than liberators
- Italy succeeded in gaining Libya- - only through diplomatic pressure.
- Very costly - Arabs continued to resist - Italy had to keep lots of troops in Libya even after war ended.
- Impact - Giolitti took credit for military victory/ acquisition of first colony
- Nationalists claimed responsibility for it - gained popularity, blamed Giolitti for loss of life and cost of war.
- Led to Nationalists/ Catholics forming temporary alliance, weakened moderate Socialists
- Led to extension of electoral franchise to all males over 30, illiterate males over 21.
- Symbol of national unity
- Negatives - Libya had same crops as Italy - fall in crop prices - Emigrants refused to move to Libya
- Sep 1911 - Italy invaded Libya
- Growing instability - 1912-14
- Growth of Nationalism/ Socialism
- Critical of the liberal gov.
- Socialists though it was used to protect the elite/ intimidate working class - argues Italy's wealth was wasted on foreign campaigns like Libya. 1931 - 20% vote.
- Nationalists got support from business interests, journalists, poets, painters. Grew in strength.
- Thought liberals were failing to deal with Socialist threat.
- Critical of the liberal gov.
- Giolitti became reliant on Catholic support.
- Forced to make concessions e.g. making civil marriages precede a religious service.
- Meant that Radicals/ socialists would no longer collaborate with him.
- Forced to make concessions e.g. making civil marriages precede a religious service.
- 1914 - Giolitti resigned due to a collapse in the coalition, mainly because of the concessions to the Catholics.
- End of Transformismo.
- 1914 - heir to Austrian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand assassinated - triggered WWI.
- Italy declared herself neutral, thus continuing Giolitti's policies, agreed with the Entente powers.
- Italy not ready for war - bad for economy and society.
- Growth of Nationalism/ Socialism
- Impact of WWI - Part 1
- Question whether to remain neutral.
- Reasons for neutrality:
- Alliance with Germany & Austria-Hungary bad because of Italian aim to regain territory from Austria-Hungary.
- neutrality better economically and militarily.
- Catholics and left parties opposed intervention, wanted to prioritse domestic issues.
- Shift towards intervention
- Nationalist movement wanted to intervene with Entente powers - hoped to expand territory
- Nationalists used press to popularise views. Allied propaganda supported them.
- Police/ military supported intervention demonstrations, broke up those against it.
- Reasons for neutrality:
- Treaty of London
- PM Antonia Salandra - wanted treaty with Entente Powers to gain territory
- Treaty of London signed April 1915 - promised territorial gains and share in future war reparations.
- Result: Italy entered war on side of Entente Powers, May 1915
- Treaty of London signed April 1915 - promised territorial gains and share in future war reparations.
- PM Antonia Salandra - wanted treaty with Entente Powers to gain territory
- Question whether to remain neutral.
- Impact of WWI - Part 2
- Military stalemate
- Italy unprepared for war - best soldiers in Libya, disorganised mobilisation of troops, shortage of arms/ munitions.
- Austria's first major offensive in nothern Italy, 1916. Italy managed to ocntain it, yet the threat caused discontent in army/ gov, caused fall of Salandra's gov.
- Defeat at Caporetto, Oct 1917
- 200,000 soldiers lost contact with regiments, thousands of troops in confusion.
- Cadorna blamed defeat on cowardice, several thousand soldiers executed.
- Cadorna replaced by General Diaz.
- Cadorna blamed defeat on cowardice, several thousand soldiers executed.
- 200,000 soldiers lost contact with regiments, thousands of troops in confusion.
- Socialist responses - extablished local councils to organise rations/ welfare, Trade unions helped to safeguard jobs and wage rises.
- Some stayed aloof, socialism became more divided during war.
- Cost of War
- Economy uprepared.
- By 1918, deficit made up. Italy had more cannons than Britian, had an aircraft industry and Fiat became leading manufacturer of trucks/ lorries in Europe.
- Achieved by strategy of 'production at all costs'
- By 1918, deficit made up. Italy had more cannons than Britian, had an aircraft industry and Fiat became leading manufacturer of trucks/ lorries in Europe.
- Serious consequences after war: enormous gov. budget deficit, huge rise in national debt, debts of more than 15 billion lire to Britain, 8.5 billion to USA, inflation, large price rises, econmic instabilty.
- Economy still short of natural resources, low exports, weak consumer market.
- Made economic recovery after war very hard.
- Economy uprepared.
- Military stalemate
- Significance of Victory
- General Diaz - reforms to improve morale/ military situation.
- Rations improved, troops given more leave
- Diaz more cautious in battle than Cadorna, lost fewer men in action.
- 1918 - military situation stabilised when Austria-Hungary and Germany were struggling.
- Italians took 500,000 prisoners of war at the battle of Vittorio Veneto, defeat caused Austrians to seek peace.
- Armistice signed, November 1918
- Italians took 500,000 prisoners of war at the battle of Vittorio Veneto, defeat caused Austrians to seek peace.
- Italy lost appox. 700,000 men, made enormous economic sacrifices.
- In return, gained territory, sense of unity and national pride - only SHORT-TERM
- Peace settlement of 1919-20
- Italy gained Trentino, South Tyrol, Istria from Austria-Hungary.
- Prime Minister had expected to gain port of Fium, the whole of Dalmatia and colonial territories.
- Left peace conference in disgust.
- Italian Nationalists regarded settlement as MUTILATED VICTORY - claim that Italy had been denied its rightful territory.
- Sig. factor in causing post-war instability in Italy.
- Italian Nationalists regarded settlement as MUTILATED VICTORY - claim that Italy had been denied its rightful territory.
- Left peace conference in disgust.
- General Diaz - reforms to improve morale/ military situation.
- Italy's political system
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