Fascist Italy - The Liberal State

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  • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
      • 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.
    • 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
    • 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.
      • 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.
      • 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.
    • 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.
      • 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
    • 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.
        • 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'
        • 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.
    • 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
      • 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.

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