UNIT 1: TOPIC E3: THE COLLAPSE OF THE LIBERAL STATE AND THE TRIUMPH OF
FASCISM IN ITALY, 1896 – 1943
PART 1: PRE WW1 ITALY
WHAT WERE THE PROBLEMS FACED BY LIBERAL ITALY BEFORE 1914?
Unification of Italy was complete by 1870 but with ONLY 2% of population possessing the vote, Italy was
to be dominated by the representatives of the WEALTHY and MIDDLE CLASSES and these were
mainly LIBERALS.
ECONOMIC WEAKNESSES
- Predominantly an agriculture
country
- Most peasants and farm labourers
in the south lived in poverty
- Industry relatively underdeveloped
- Heavy industry poor due to lack of
natural resources (coal/iron)
- Any developments that did occur
were concentrated in the North
LACK OF ITALIAN IDENTITY
- Long history of political division
- Loyalties were towards locality rather
than towards the Italian nation
- Only 2% of population spoke Italian
- Majority of people spoke dialects that
were only known in their local area so
communication was almost impossible
NORTH-SOUTH DIVIDE
HOSTILITY OF THE
- Economic division starting
CATHOLIC CHURCH
with the Unification of Italy in
WHAT WERE THE
- A powerful source in Italian
1861 with the Northern and PROBLEMS FACING
society
Southern provinces
LIBERAL ITALY BEFORE
- Resentful of the new
- Almost all South was Peasant
1914?
kingdom that had seized the
based - could not afford/cope
Papal States and Rome
with the heavy taxes
from the Church
- Situation in South made it
- Pope refused to recognise
impossible for many tenant
the Italian state
farmers, small businesses and
- Catholics had to boycott
land owners
elections
- SOUTH = economically
- Distrust continued beyond
backwards/hostile climate/no
WW1
advancement. NORTH =
prosperous/sophisticated/
WEAKNESSES OF THE LIBERAL POLITICAL SYSTEM
Industry based
- No clearly defined political parties and no two-party system
- Politicians mainly from middle class and represented this
narrow social class in parliament
- These liberals were not divided in opinion
- TRASFORMISMO =different political factions forming a
coalition government regardless of ideological differences
- Governments kept on falling due to differences of opinions
which indicated that Liberal politics was not about principle or
the good of the nations, but about the pursuit of power for
its own sake
WHO WERE THE OPPOSITION GROUPS IN ITALY BEFORE WW1?
SOCIALISM
-Attracted working class due to pay, working conditions + ownership of industry
-Attempted to create a single, united socialist party
-Fasci supported socialist ideas (made up of peasants from Sicily in 1893/they began strikes, riots and
set buildings on fire/government responded harshly, banning the Fasci)
CATHOLICISM
-Heavily against Socialism (1890’s)
-In 1874 the Pope instructed Catholics not to participate in the new state BUT he did allow them to vote
in order to defeat the Socialists. The rift between Church and state was problematic
NATIONALISM
-Middle classes, accused Liberals of putting their careers over country
-They condemned the liberals for failing to make Italy a great power
-Lead calls for Italian entry into WW1
SYNDICALISM
-Adaptation of socialists
-They believed that workers should seize control of their factories by force and then take power in the
state
FUTURISTS
-Wanted more advanced technology
-They were violent
-Had a vague concept and ideology
LIBERAL ITALY ON THE EVE OF WW1
LIBERALS ARGUED THAT ITALY HAD MADE HUGE PROGRESS UNDER THEIR
RULE AND THAT THE COUNTRY WAS EVOLVING INTO A STRONG AND
HEALTHY DEMOCRACY IN THE YEARS IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO THE FIRST
WORD WAR.
•
•
•
•
•
•
National military service + introduction of free primary education (helped
to create greater sense of Italian nationhood)
Economic progress had been rapid
Taxes on food had been reduced
Liberal government spend money to improve roads, railways and the
supply of drinking water
Italy had joined the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary
Conquest of Libya in 1911 had confirmed Italy as a great power
THE GIOLOTTI ERA
Giolotti was Liberal PM on four occasions over the years 1903 – 1914
GIOLOTTI WAS AWARE THAT THE ITALIAN POLITICS NEEDED TO ADAPT THE
CHALLENGES OF RAPID ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND THE EMERGENCE
OF SOCIALISM. SO HE TRIED TO BRING ABOUT OUTSIDERS INTO THE
POLITICAL SYSTEM IN ORDER TO STRENGTHEN IT.
WHAT WERE GIOLOTT’S REFORMS?
1. One rest day a week
2. Outlawed unemployment under 12
3. Expenditure on public work schemes
4. Reduced taxes on food
5. Supply drugs to Malaria hit areas
6. Government to be neutral in strikes
7. Working relationship with moderate Catholics
8. National military service
9. Free primary education
10. TRANSFORMISMO = Giolotti’s reform of different political factions
forming a coalition government regardless of ideological differences
BUT WHY DID GIOLOTTI FAIL?
 By trying to please Catholics and Socialists, Giolotti upset some Liberals
who feared increase influence from the Church or workers
 Many ordinary Italians resented the Libyan war as they were conscripted to
fight a war that they did not understand and paid for it through increased
taxation
 In 1914 the worst outbreak of mass unrest since 1898 broke out during
‘Red Week’ and these events frightened the bourgeoisie and alienated
workers from the government
GIOLITTI’S ATTEMPTS TO UNIFYING ITALY EVENTUALLY HAD THE EFFECT
OF POLARISING POLITICS FUTHER, AS THE LIBYAN WAR, RED WEEK AND
THE FEARS OF CONSERVATIVES AND THE BOURGEOISIE THAT GIOLOTTI
PANDERED TO THE LEFT EXARCEBATED DIVISIONS
PART 2:
THE IMPACT OF WW1
Why did Italy enter WW1?
ENTRY INTO THE GREAT WAR WAS DIVISIVE BECAUSE:
ITALY WAS INITALLY TRENTINO AND ISTRIA (THIS
NEUTRAL DURING WW1
WAS ITALIA ITTEDENTA LAND
DESPITE ITS MEMBERSHIP
WHICH ITALY THOUGHT
OF THE TRIPLE ALLIANCE.
BELONGED
TO THEM,
BUT IT
FEAR.
(VICTORY
FOR THE
(ITALY FEARED OVER TRIPLE
THE
REMAINED
UNDER
AUSTROALLIANCE
WOULD
AMBITIONS OF AUSTRIA
HUNGARIAN
AND
DOMINATION
ONLY
STRENGTHEN
AUSTRIAN
SO WAS RELUCTANT TO
AFTER THE
AUSTROBORDERS
AND
IF ENTENTE
INTERVENE IN SUPPORT
PRUSSION
OF
WAR OFNOT
1866)
WON
THEY WOULD
BE
AUTRIA-HUNGARY AND
SYMPATHETIC TO ITALIAN
GERMANY)
AMBITIONS IN THE
MEDITERRANEAN IF ITALY HAD
NOTHING TO BRING ABOUT
THEIR VICTORY)
GIOLOTTI, CATHOLICS AND
SOCIALISTS DID NOT THINK
THAT ITALY WAS READY FOR
WAR. (THE MASS OF THE
POPULATION DID NOT
WELCOME THE NEWS –
CATHOLIC CHURCH MADE
CLEAR THAT CATHOLICS
SHOULDN’T DENOUNCE
ENEMY AS CATHOLIC
COUNTRY)
THE DECISION TO GO TO WAR:
PRIME MINISTER ANTONIO SALANDRA SEPTEMBER 1914
‘I cannot hesitate: if I thought I had let the opportunity to restore Trentino and Trieste to Italy
and that I had let it slip, I would not have a moment’s peace for the rest of my life’
Motivated by the desire to gain the ‘terre irredente’, Salandra decided to
bargain with both the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance and join the war on
the side that offered him the best deal to fight with them: THE TRIPLE
ENTENTE (Britain, France and Russia)
In 1915, Italy had signed the secret Treaty of London. In this treaty Britain
had offered Italy large sections of territory in the Adriatic Sea region – Tyrol,
Dalmatia and Istria. Such an offer was too tempting for Italy to refuse.
1. 5was
million
mainly on
fromItaly?
rural areas – appalling conditions, poor rations and low pay
What
theconscripts
impact of– WW1
2. War of attrition (a war in which the commanders do not expect dramatic victories but instead
measure success in terms of metres of territory gained and number of enemy killed) on alpine
north border – heavy blood count
3. Defeat at battle of Caporetto 700,000 Italians retreated in disorder over 100 miles – 300,000
taken prisoner
4. Battle of Vittoorio Veneto – Oct attacked Austrians – heavy death count – 40,000 killed or
wounded
5. Austrians collapsed and Italians gained 500,000 prisoners of war – Austria called for amistice
ECONOMIC LEGACY
SOCIAL IMPACT
POLITICAL
PROBLEMS
MILITARY ISSU
Cost of war had been
148 billion lire which is
about twice the sum of
all government
expenditure between
1861 and 1913
National debt
1914 = 16 billion lire
1919 = 85 billion lire
Great war did not bring
about any national
integration and unity
The war widened
existing politics
divisions
Five million men w
conscripted and it w
largely peasant base
Strict discipline in war
industry
Generally trench
stalemate
Major industries saw
massive expansion and
industrialists did well
as they simply raised
their prices
Huge sums borrowed
from Britain and the USA
Long hours – up to 75
hours a week
Liberals could not agree
on whether Italy was
fighting a war of
liberation from Italy or a
war of conquest
Catholics were mostly
patriotic but the Pope
denounced the war as
‘useless slaughter’
Maximum advance
miles
Inflation spiralled –
prices quadrupled during
the war years
Real wages fell by
approximately 25%
Inflation destroyed
savings, hitting the
middle class in particular
Some peasants paid off
their debts
Unemployment rose and
soldiers returning home
from the war were
thrown into the
deteriorating economic
situation = poor reward
for their sacrifices
Italians were now more
divided than ever
The industrial workers
flocked to the Socialist
Party
Socialists called for the
overthrow of the Liberal
state and dictatorship of
the Proleteriat (industrial
working class)
Socialists won the first
election and were
largest party in
parliament – middle class
very fearful and peasants
joined socialist trade
unions
Nationalists were
angered by Italy’s lack of
success which they
blamed to the spread of
socialism and the
weakness of the
parliamentary system
Profits fell as
government spending
was cut back
The Italians did not get
what they had been
promised at the Treaty of
London and that caused
resentment especially at the
losses Italy had endured
fighting for the Allies.
Increased employment of
women
Eleven offensives i
and a half years
600,000 Italians kill
and 1,000,000 woun
General Cadorna w
autocratic, stubborn
of the Italian army fro
1915 – 1917.
Cadorna was scorn
the soldier’s welfar
sacked 217 generals
banned politicians
the war zone and b
failings on the wea
government and its
toleration of subvers
What was the mutilated victory?
THIS WAS THE CLAIM THAT ITALY HAD BEEN DENIED ITS RIGHTFUL
TERRITORIAL GAINS IN THE PEACE SETTLEMENT AFTER THE FIRST WORLD
WAR
-
Nationalists believed government had failed to defend nations interest at
peace conference – they wanted territories agreed plus the city of Fiume
Treaty of St Germain ceded land in South Tyrol, Trentino but refused to hand
over Fiume as vital to economy of new Yugoslav state
Italy denied Dalmatia as few Italians lived there & would not sure in
divisions of German colonies in Africa
Her sacrifices had only won them ‘mutilated victory’
Demobilised soldiers saw peace treaty as further humiliation – blamed
Liberal government
ITALY WAS FALLING INTO THE HANDS OF SOCIALIST REVOLUTIONARIES
WHO HAD OPPOSED THE WAR FROM THE START AND WHO HAD DONE
THEIR BEST TO SABOTAGE THE WAR EFFORT.
LIBERALISM AND THE PARLIAMENTRY SYSTEM HAD PROVED ABJECT
FAILURES.
A POWERFUL, DYNAMIC ITALY WOULD HAVE TO BE ACHIEVED BY OTHER
METHODS
Seizure of Fiume
WHAT HAPPENED?
Fiume was a major Adriatic port and until 1919 it was
an international area. Angered at the outcome of the Treaty of St
Germain, In September 1919 the Nationalist intellectual
Gabriele D’Annunzio led 200 armed men into the city of
Fiume and occupied it in defiance of the Italian government.
D’Annunzio ruled Fiume for a year and he became a public hero
throughout Italy.
SIGNIFICANCE?
D’Annunzio had shown that the way to achieve results was not
to indulge in months of talking and negotiations, but rather to
act decisively and not to be afraid to use force.
Critics of the Liberal regime noted with satisfaction that the
government lacked the will and the courage to use troops
and end the occupation
D’Annunzio’s denunciation of the government made him a
model for another enemy of Liberalism, Benito Mussolini.
PART 3:
POST-WAR ITALY
What democratic reforms were introduced after WW1?