WW1 Flashcards
(22 cards)
What happened for the first two years of the war?
Stalemate
What happened in 1915 offensive?
- 62,000 Italian soldiers died as a result of 4 attempted offensives
- Failed to change the situation at front
What was Cardona’s solution to lack of discipline and morale?
- to use harsh punishments
- Military tribunals passed 4,000 executions on Italian soldiers for desertion and indiscipline
What happened in the Battle of Caporetto in 1917?
- 200,000 lost contact with their regiments
- 30,000 wounded
- 10,000 killed
- 400,000 vanished
- 300,000 taken prisoner
How many soldiers were court martialled?
290,000
What had the battle of Caporetto reignited?
- political divisions
- many politicians still backed Giolitti
- Neutralist politicians were blamed for Italy’s poor performance
What happened in 1916?
- Stafexpedition
- a major offensive
- severely impacted public and army morale
Who was the new prime minister?
Vitto Orlando
Who was the new army general?
General Diaz
How did Orlando impact the war?
- Rations and annual leave for soldiers increased
- greater focus on boosting soldiers morale
- In Dec 1917, an organisation was created to look after the welfare of soldiers and their families
Was General Diaz a better general?
- Yes, he was more cautious
- Casualty rates fell from 520,000 in 1917 to 143,000 in 1918
What was the PSI stance and how did it create tension?
- Opposed the war throughout
- Greater polarisation between left and right
- PSI leaders accused of ‘stabbing Italy in the back’
What was Italy’s war economy like at the start of the war?
- Behind Austria in all areas
- Italy produced 1 tonnes of steal whereas Austria produced 2.6 million
Did Italy’s war economy change during the war?
-Yes, it improved
- Fiat established itself as the leading truck and lorry manufacturer, producing 25,000 vehicles in 1918 alone
- 6,500 planes
What happened to Italy’s industry during the war?
- encountered major industrial growth
- Fiat increased their workforce to 6,000
- No risks for industrialists as they were backed by government
What happened to the economy at the end of the war?
- major inflation and massive cuts to government spending
- this was because the industrial growth was backed by gov investment which had been paid by foreign loans
How much was Italy in debt?
23 billion lire
Why was there unrest and resentment among the industrial workers?
- had to work long hours and wages fell around 25%
- most workers did not support the war
- govt increased indirect taxes to pay for the war leading to greater social division
How did Dallolio increase industrial success during the war?
- recruited peseants and women in factories (a quarter of munitions factory workers were women)
- hours of work increased
- strikes made illegal
- workers would face military tribunals if their behaviour was deemed unsatisfactory
How did the war economy create further divisions in the north and south?
- Majority of war production was based in North
- North’s economy grew over 20% between 1911-1921
What happened to food by 1917?
- bread and pasta was being rationed
- meat and sugar consumption was falling sharply
- 50 workers killed protesting against bread shortages and continuation of the war
What did the Battle of Vittorio Veneto 1918 symbolise?
symbolised the greatest moment of Italian nation
