Problems facing liberal Italy 1870-96

Question 1

What % of the new Italian population had the vote?

Answer 1

2

Question 2

What did this mean?

Answer 2

That the new state was to be dominated by representatives of the wealthy and middle classes, and these were overwhelmingly liberals

Question 3

What were these liberals sometimes referred to as?

Answer 3

The liberal oligarchy, as it parliament was controlled by a relatively small group of liberal politicians who formed a wealthy, educated elite

Question 4

What did they see themselves as?

Answer 4

An educated elite who would lead Italy towards national unity, economic prosperity and great power status

Question 5

What would they find in their way?

Answer 5

Formidable obstacles

Question 6

Why was it so hard to form a sense of national identity?

Answer 6

There was a long standing history of political division

Question 7

Why were normal Italians not on the same page as the liberals with regards to national identity?

Answer 7

Only a very small proportion had had any role in bringing about unification and loyalties tended to be towards the family or immediate locality rather than the nation

Question 8

How did language complicate matters further?

Answer 8

Only 2% of the population spoke Italian. The great majority spoke dialects that were almost unintelligible outside of their local area

Question 9

What did the liberal governments believe was necessary for Italy to become a major power?

Answer 9

It must be truly united, with the public viewing themselves as Italians

Question 10

What made the Catholic Church such a powerful force in Italian society?

Answer 10

It claimed at least nominal allegiance of most of the population

Question 11

What was its reaction to the new united Italy?

Answer 11

It was bitterly resentful as they saw it as having seized Rome and the papal states from them

Question 12

How did the pope respond?

Answer 12

He refused to recognise the new state and instructed catholics to boycott all elections

Question 13

How did the relationship between church and state develop in the years that followed?

Answer 13

The ban on participating in elections was lifted in the 1890s, but distrust between the church and liberal regime remained a factor in Italian politics up until WWI

Question 14

Give a statistic to show how Italy was still predominantly an agricultural country

Answer 14

68% of the population was dependent on the land for at least part of their livelihood

Question 15

Where could most of the always poverty stricken farm labourers and peasants be found?

Answer 15

The south

Question 16

Describe industry at this time?

Answer 16

Underdeveloped; most enterprises were small scale, centring around workshops and skilled craftsmen

Question 17

Why was heavy industry at a disadvantage?

Answer 17

Due to the lack of natural resources, mainly iron and coal

Question 18

Why was the development of iron, steel and shipbuiliding not comprehensive?

Answer 18

It was largely limited to military purposes and railways and was concentrated in the north

Question 19

Why was economic underdevelopment a problem for the government?

Answer 19

It meant that they received relatively little in taxes, making it more difficult for them to finance such projects as the expansion of schooling or the build up of the armed forces

Question 20

What had the new Italian political system been partly based on?

Answer 20

Britain

Question 21

In what two ways was the Italian political system different?

Answer 21

There were no clearly defined political parties and there was no two party system

Question 22

What was the consequence of the fact that the poor couldn’t vote for the composition of parliament?

Answer 22

Politicians were mainly drawn from the professional, wealthy middle classes and represented this narrow social class in parliament

Question 23

How did the liberals prevent the emergence of a traditional party system?

Answer 23

They were not divided by ideology and had few differences of opinion. As a result, there seemed to be no need for formal political parties that might do things like draw up policy, select leaders and discipline dissenting members

Question 24

What did deputies do in the absence of political parties?

Answer 24

Clustered around the prominent politicians and formed factions

Question 25

How would these factions form a government?

Answer 25

A number of factions would agree to support each other and form a government, dividing up ministerial posts between them

Question 26

What was the name given to this political system?

Answer 26

Transformismo

Question 27

Define transformismo

Answer 27

Different political factions forming coalitions regardless of ideological differences - allowing former political opponents to put aside their differences and form a government

Question 28

How did this system lead to instability?

Answer 28

These alliances were fragile and when a leading politician felt aggreived over an issue he would withdraw his faction’s support and the government would fall

Question 29

Give a statistic to indicate this instability

Answer 29

Italy had 29 PMs between 1870-1922

Question 30

What did critics think this instability showed about the political system?

Answer 30

They indicated that liberal governments were not about principles or the good of the nation; it was simply the pursuit of power for its own sake