Section Four: Consequence of the War

• economic cost of feeding and paying the soldiers was huge and the government had to finance the 148 billion lire war through borrowing and printing money
• this led to a national debt of 85 billion lire and an inflation of 400% on wholesale goods during the war
• this meant middle class savings were wiped out
• the war had helped unemployment by giving jobs as soldiers but when it was over these people had no jobs to go to
• the war had created a boom in war industries like armaments production but after the war there was no longer any need for these and this distorted the economy and heightened unemployment as declining industries would not take on new workers

Social:

• Factory working hours became longer for little pay
• returning soldiers - no employment - resentful - saw wealth some e.g. Fiat had gained
• peasants resented conscription + war of attrition = demoralising - high deaths, little gains

Politcal:

• Government power increased and parliament became little more than a 'rubber stamp'
• more representative of the people but had virtually no power
• war caused more divisions: Catholics opposed the war - wrong to fight Catholic Austria
• Socialists were gaining more support from angry peasants
• EVEN Nationalists were upset due to military failures at war

Military:

• 5 million conscripted - caused resentment - worsened by general Cadarno's treatment of the soldiers and their low pay and rations
• 650,000 soldiers killed, more than 1m wounded and the war of attrition caused frustration
• defeats such as that at Caporetto where 10 thousand were killed were demoralising