The Crisis of Liberal Italy 1900-1915 Flashcards
(22 cards)
How much of the Italian population spoke Tuscan Italian (national language) upon its initial unification?
just 2%
how much of the Italian population was dependent on land for at least part of their livelihood during the early years of unification.
68%, this showed how Italy was still predominantly an agricultural country.
where was the predominant amount of economic development in the early years of the unification?
In the North - Industry was relatively underdeveloped. And any industrial development that did occur e.g some iron and steel only occurred in the North.
What was one reason why Italy’s political structure (heavily influenced by UK’s constitutional monarch) at the time of the Risorgimento was arguably doomed from the start?
Italy was very politically divided, with no single party in power and no two-party system. In the absence of any well organised parties, prominent members of the chamber would form coalition governments. This system of government was known as ‘trasformismo’. However, such coalitions were largely unsuccessful and between 1870 and 1922 Italy had 29 Prime Ministers!
Constitutional monarchy
a monarch whose position is mostly ceremonial and less centred around power and decision-making. Their main role is to approve laws and perform Royal prerogative.
Liberal oligarchy
the wealthy elitists in northern italy who predominantly ran government
Mezziogorno
the derogatory term used by those in the north to describe those who lived in southern Italy.
Risorgimento
the process of unification of the italian states to create the Kingdom of Italy (1859-1871)
Industrial triangle
the main 3 industrial cities in Italy - Turin, Genoa, and Milan. 75% of all industry took place in this area.
Trasformismo
groups of Italian politicians making deals to form a coalition government.
The problem of socialism in the 1880s
Rapid industrialisation in northern Italy from the 1880s produced a sizeable working class who were attracted to socialist ideas concerning pay, working conditions and the ownership of industry. A liberal reform in 1881 which expanded the franchise to 2 million more Italians added a further incentive to socialists to organise themselves.
What happened in the Genoa Congress 1892
- In 1891, Turati organised an Italian workers congress in Milan with the aims of uniting the socialist party. However, the Genoa Conference split the party into two main groups:
- Maximalists - the first dedicated itself to revolutionary strikes and refused to participate in elections.
- Minimalists - the second and larger of the two groups also committed itself to workers’ control of the state, but realised this could only be done in the long term. They argued in the meantime they should involve themselves in local and national politics. This more moderate group, including Turati, became known as the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) in 1895.
How many votes did the PSI receive in the 1900 General Election
200,000 votes
32 seats
What main policy stances did the PSI have?
- Universal male suffrage
- 8 hour work day
- income tax
- limited womens’ rights
What was the name of the socialist newspaper
Avanti!
By 1897 how many members of the PSI were there?
27,000
Why was it that by 1890s the pope had turned his attention away from opposing the liberal regime?
By the 1890s the pope had turned his concern to the issue of socialism. To the church, socialism was a direct competitor for the heart and minds of Italians and even rejected religion.
How did the pope influence catholics to fight off the issue of socialism
the church removed its ban on catholics voting in elections.
Nationalists
The nationalists, often middle-class intellectuals, were few in number but they found many supporters in the media. They condemned the liberals for fairing to make Italy a great power. They demanded a larger empire in Africa and higher military spending. They also demanded the takeover of the Irridentalands:
- Tyrol
- Trentino
- Istria
How did Italy try to increase national identity
- Building infrastructure e.g. railways to link north and south
- established a national language
- monarchy
- empire and Adowa - 1896
Irridentism
the demand that Italy seize from Austria on its north east land where a majority of the population spoke Italian. The 3 main areas were south Tyrol, Trentino, and Istria.
Bava Baccaris
Street demonstrations against high prices and shortages began in early 1898 and by April had spread to most parts of the country. The army was brought in to suppress the riots, killing up to 200 people in the process.
The situation was further inflamed when the king awarded a medal to General Bava Baccaris, the army commander responsible for the shootings.
