Fascist Italy

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How well did the liberals deal with Italy's economic problems?

  • Problems
  • 1) Mainly agricultural and inefficient at that
  • "Italietta" -> small scale primitive agriculture
  • inefficient methods and equipment
  • Low productivity
  • E.g : farmers consume 40% of his own crop
  • Weak Europe competitors
  • 2) Small scale industry
  • only 13% of workers employed in industry
  • Lack of raw materials ... esp coal and oil
  • Which are important for expansion
  • they have to buy this from Britain
  • Massively expensive
  • 8% more than Britain
  • companies = small
  • Small labor force (refer to stats)
  • Only 13% in 1871 were part of the Industry
  • No industrial workers in Sicily
  • poor transport
  • Low productivity
  • Weak existing companies
  • 3) South's problems
  • Agricultural and non- productive
  • Lags behind north and barriers progress
  • "Millstone around Italy's neck"
  • Barriers progress ^ (linked!)
  • "Latfundia" --- Poor land
  • Peasants work on massive land called Latfundia
  • Poor transport
  • Result = low productivity
  • 4) Debt and its burden
  • A result of foreign policy (Adowa)
  • 1876 - Italy clears all of its debt
  • 1896 - Adowa leads to a budget deficit of 36 million lour 
  • Cuts on investment in industry, agriculture
  • Barrier to economical improvement -.without solving debt it is impossible to solve others
  • THIS THEN LEADS TO PRESSURE!
  • Pressure
  • 1) Liberals are unpopular with people
  • no money for the government to give social reform
  • E.g... wealth
  • Leads to poor living standards
  • Makes people unhappy
  • Thus liberals need to address it
  • 2) Growth of political opposition
  • Radical Catholics and socialists
  • Want to improve living standard
  • Unhappy people support them

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