Italy in the Early Twentieth Century: Society Flashcards
What is the Italian word for unification?
Risorgimento
Why was it hard to build a sense of national identity with ordinary Italians?
Ordinary people did not gain any riches or prestige from the unification, only new taxes
Why was it hard to build a sense of national identity nationally?
The majority of the population had played little part in unification and felt detached form political life.
Religiously, why was it hard to build a sense of national identity?
Pope Pius IX had lost control of Rome and instructed Catholics not to part take in government.
Why was it hard for the government to communicate with the people?
Many Italians did not speak ‘Italian’. Most spoke local dialects.
What were the economic problems with the unification of Italy?
It created a debt of 2.4 million lire and could only be removed by taxing the poor.
What were the consequences of the economic problems?
The government could not afford to invest in education and public services
What was the dualist economy?
An industrialised north and a predominantly agricultural south which suffered from heavy poverty.
What were issues with southern agriculture?
The land used was not suitable.
How was agriculture organised?
They were organised into latifundia - these were vats estates that were owned by men who lived in larger cities who ha little interest and were reluctant to introduce new methods.
What were the literary problems with the South?
75% of the population were illiterate.
What were the socio-economic problems with the South?
Poor health was widespread, 20-30% of deaths were caused by malaria. Organised crime (Mafia), Frequent peasant violence, emigration to America.
How did agriculture in the North differ from the South?
Agriculture was better because it adopted new methods but still lagged behind Western Europe.
Why was wrong with the North’s industry?
It was limited to a small area and Italy lacked a number of natural resources such as Iron ore
