The Rise Of Socialism

Question 1

Why were conditions for growth of socialism favourable in post war Italy?

Answer 1

-Socialists always opposed war.
-Working conditions deteriorated during the war
-Workers and peasants suffered from the war- on the front line and the home front
-Inflation
-Unemployment
-Extension of the franchise: 1909- Only literate males vote (1.3 million)
1913- Males above age of 21 and literate + males above 30 (8.4 million)
1919- All males (10.3 million)

Question 2

Rise of socialism- Key events of the Bienno Rosso

Answer 2

*September 1920-engineering workers engaged in dispute over wages occupied their factories to prevent employers locking them out. 0.4m workers from Northern cities had soon joined them.
*Employers demanded Giolitti intervene to crush the occupation. Giolitti refused – remain neutral. Thought force would lead to carnage and believed occupation would collapse naturally, it did in a month.
*Giolitti enraged industrialists through inaction advice to make concessions to workers. Also concerned conservatives (some factories produced weapons for strikers – they feared a revolution)
*Support from industrialists and conservatives was now precarious.

Question 3

Rise of Socialism: Socialists made rural advances:

Answer 3

*Countryside- landowners feared Socialist threat, agricultural strikes and land occupations were on the rise.
*Emilia, the Po Valley, Umbria and Tuscany-expansion of trade unions, establishing a stranglehold over agricultural employment (nearly 1m members).
*Demanded higher wages and job security throughout the year for employees.
*If landowners resisted TU demands, land would be disrupted and farm managers vulnerable to violent attacks.
*The Socialists had electoral success in local elections of late 1920 – controlling 26/69 provinces (mainly Northern and Central). In Emilia, it ran 80% of local councils.

Question 4

Rise of Socialism: Rise of PSI membership

Answer 4

PSI-1915: 50,000 —> 1919: 200,000

CGL (General Confederation of Labour) 1915: 400,000 1919: 2 million

1919 elections- Socialists gain 32.4% of vote
1920 local elections- take over 26 of 69 provinces (mainly in North and urban areas)

Question 5

Rise of socialism: 1919-20 The “Bienno Rosso” (the Two Red years)

Answer 5

Urban areas:
-series of strikes over working conditions
-53 million working days lost
-Reaches climax in Sept 1920- 0.5 million workers on strike in Milan and Turin taking over factories, flying red flags, forming workers’ militia

Rural areas:
Fedeterra organized series of strikes, sit ins and land seizures. They demanded an end to seasonal work and a break up and re-distribution of land the latifundia owned by the latifundisti.

Question 6

Rise of Socialism: The Maximalist/minimalist split

Answer 6

*The socialists pronounced themselves as a Marxist party; aiming for a socialist republic thus they spoke of eventual withering away of the state, after a period of dictatorship of the proletariat.
*Would be worker’s control of industry and nationalisation of all land. *Religion would wither away in their new socialist society.

Although the party officially stood united behind this programme, it was deeply split between Maximalists and Minimalists:

Maximalists-urged the revolution to enact their full programme
Minimalists-dominated the parliamentary party, were more prepared to use parliament to enact reforms on the way to full socialism.

Question 7

Who feared socialists?

Answer 7

Shopkeepers- concerned over potential competition from Socialist sponsored co-operatives.
Urban middle-classes- feared Socialist councils would increase taxes on the better-off.
Landowners- fearful over security of their land and dominance of trade unions. angry when the government allowed labourers to keep the unused land they illegally occupied.
Industrialists- concerned over concessions and the rising influence of trade unions.
Landowners and conservatives- felt an embattled class, feeling abandoned.