Italy breakdown of topics
Italy up to 1911 ● Social, economic and political issues before 1911
○ Economic
■ Northern Italy industrialising and modernising and Southern Italy
Giolitti 1911-1914 remaining economically backward
■ Limited industrial development drew people to northern cities,
increasing the potential for radicalisation
■ Industry was restricted to the North
■ In 1911 Milian, Genoa, Turin accounted for 55% of industrial
income
■ Exports increased a rate of 4.5% and the numbers of workers
increased by 2 million between 1901 and 1911
○ Political
■ Political systems controlled by a small elite drawn from the middle
& upper classes
■ Opening up of the franchise in 1883 and 1912 meant many who
did not support the liberals could vote - making italian politics
more unstable and difficult to manage for experienced politicians
who operated within the system for decades
■ Became harder to form coalitions and keep them as support for
socialist, catholic and radical parties grew
■ From 1910, nationalist groups also joined
■ Transformismo - govs formed factions to make coalitions
■ Between 1870 and 1915 there were more than 20 different
governments
○ Social
■ Systemic poverty, unrest and the huge divide between the north
and south made Italy hard to govern
■ With the increase of the franchise people whose situation and
views could be safely ignored now had a political voice and
weren’t inclined to vote liberal
■ Emigration was increasing
■ 1870 69% were illiterate
■ In piedmont there were 26 schools for every 10,000 inhabitants
whereas only 6 per 10,000 in Sicily
● Italy as a great power
○ Italy desired to be a great power equal of Britain and France, Germany
○ Colonial ambitions
■ Disastrous early attempts - Tunisia 1881 and Abyssnia in 1896
■ Italy's defeat to Abyssinian forces in Adowa was humaltiing - had
to accept Abyssinian independence and pay 10 million lire in war
reparations
● Giolitti’s social and economic reforms -
○ Social
■ Sickness, accident and pension schemes
■ Raising minimum working age to 12 years
■ Compulsory accident insurance in industrial work paid for by the
employer
■ Limiting working day for woman to 11 hours 1902
■ 1913 state subsidised sickness and old age fund for merchant and
navy introduced
■ Federation of agricultural workers was formed in 1901 and
represented 240,000 workers
○ Economic
■ 1906 - non-intervention in labour disputes and establishment of
arbitration courts which would settle pay disputes between
employers and workers - lowering need for strike action
■ wages rose by 25% by 1913
○ Police left unreformed and tended to support elites against workers
○ Giolitti prioritise economic production goals over workers grievances -
radicalisation
● Foreign Policy / Libyan War
○ Mussolini orders pacification - lock opposition in concentration
camps and exterminate them
○ 100,000 Libyan tribesmen rounded up and forced to walk in the
desert, most women, children, elderly and most died
○ The PSI was growing rapidly during this period and the views in
Avanti represented those of the party members
○ Giolitti’s intention to use the invasion of Libya to reduce opposition,
and to unite the country in support of the government, failed
, ○ Mussolini, then a member of the PSI, campaigned for a general strike
to demonstrate opposition to the war.
○ Nationalists took credit for the success of Libya undermine Giolitti's
power
● Extension of the franchise
● Growth of nationalism/socialism
● 1913 Election
● Gentiloni Pact
● Giolitti’s Resignation
● Relationship with Catholics, socialists and nationalists
○ Catholics
■ Allowed for the divorce bill which was close to
passing to disappear - compromises with
catholics and nationalists
■ Catholics part of governing coalitions in Turin,
Bologna, Florence and Venice
■ Not prepared to give concessions on the roman
question - tensions between church and state
○ Socialists
■ 1909 encouraging italians to vote in the 150 constituiences
where socialists had a chance of winning
■ Most important concession to socialists in 1906 - policy of
non-intervention in labour disputes
■ Giolitti did manage to neutralise the socialist threat by
making key concessions to the movement
■ Implementing reforms to increase literacy and healthcare
■ Increasing wages
■ Wages increased by 40% between 1900 and 1915
■ 1. Abolished child labour
■ 2. Social insurance and pensions
■ 3. Maternity pay
■ 4. Spending on infrastructure increased 50%
■ 5. Took money away from armed forces
■ 6. Kept govt neutral in industrial disputes (allowed
workers/trade unions to bargain for higher wages)
● Less violence than in 1890s and plans for
revolution muted
● Social and economic reforms to help the poorest
in Italy
● Persuaded some Socialists to join him
■ Demonstrating why Giolitti was able to minimise the
socialist threat to liberal Italy.
■ HOWEVER: The impact of these changes were limited
because:
■ Giolitti ultimately prioritised economic efficiency over
welfare of workers
■ This can be demonstrated by:
■ PSI declared a strike in June 1914
■ Became violent as trade unions seized control of buildings
and factories
■ Known as red week
■ Military had to be used to maintain order
■ This shows that: PSI was unwilling to work within
democratic system
■ Socialism becoming more extreme
■ PSI was internally divided - moderates were on board, but
extreme members believed they were betraying the
Socialist cause and were more influential within the party
■ The impact of this was:
■ Failed to prevent the growth of trade unions and strikes
■ Members of the elite believed Giolitti had made too many
Italy up to 1911 ● Social, economic and political issues before 1911
○ Economic
■ Northern Italy industrialising and modernising and Southern Italy
Giolitti 1911-1914 remaining economically backward
■ Limited industrial development drew people to northern cities,
increasing the potential for radicalisation
■ Industry was restricted to the North
■ In 1911 Milian, Genoa, Turin accounted for 55% of industrial
income
■ Exports increased a rate of 4.5% and the numbers of workers
increased by 2 million between 1901 and 1911
○ Political
■ Political systems controlled by a small elite drawn from the middle
& upper classes
■ Opening up of the franchise in 1883 and 1912 meant many who
did not support the liberals could vote - making italian politics
more unstable and difficult to manage for experienced politicians
who operated within the system for decades
■ Became harder to form coalitions and keep them as support for
socialist, catholic and radical parties grew
■ From 1910, nationalist groups also joined
■ Transformismo - govs formed factions to make coalitions
■ Between 1870 and 1915 there were more than 20 different
governments
○ Social
■ Systemic poverty, unrest and the huge divide between the north
and south made Italy hard to govern
■ With the increase of the franchise people whose situation and
views could be safely ignored now had a political voice and
weren’t inclined to vote liberal
■ Emigration was increasing
■ 1870 69% were illiterate
■ In piedmont there were 26 schools for every 10,000 inhabitants
whereas only 6 per 10,000 in Sicily
● Italy as a great power
○ Italy desired to be a great power equal of Britain and France, Germany
○ Colonial ambitions
■ Disastrous early attempts - Tunisia 1881 and Abyssnia in 1896
■ Italy's defeat to Abyssinian forces in Adowa was humaltiing - had
to accept Abyssinian independence and pay 10 million lire in war
reparations
● Giolitti’s social and economic reforms -
○ Social
■ Sickness, accident and pension schemes
■ Raising minimum working age to 12 years
■ Compulsory accident insurance in industrial work paid for by the
employer
■ Limiting working day for woman to 11 hours 1902
■ 1913 state subsidised sickness and old age fund for merchant and
navy introduced
■ Federation of agricultural workers was formed in 1901 and
represented 240,000 workers
○ Economic
■ 1906 - non-intervention in labour disputes and establishment of
arbitration courts which would settle pay disputes between
employers and workers - lowering need for strike action
■ wages rose by 25% by 1913
○ Police left unreformed and tended to support elites against workers
○ Giolitti prioritise economic production goals over workers grievances -
radicalisation
● Foreign Policy / Libyan War
○ Mussolini orders pacification - lock opposition in concentration
camps and exterminate them
○ 100,000 Libyan tribesmen rounded up and forced to walk in the
desert, most women, children, elderly and most died
○ The PSI was growing rapidly during this period and the views in
Avanti represented those of the party members
○ Giolitti’s intention to use the invasion of Libya to reduce opposition,
and to unite the country in support of the government, failed
, ○ Mussolini, then a member of the PSI, campaigned for a general strike
to demonstrate opposition to the war.
○ Nationalists took credit for the success of Libya undermine Giolitti's
power
● Extension of the franchise
● Growth of nationalism/socialism
● 1913 Election
● Gentiloni Pact
● Giolitti’s Resignation
● Relationship with Catholics, socialists and nationalists
○ Catholics
■ Allowed for the divorce bill which was close to
passing to disappear - compromises with
catholics and nationalists
■ Catholics part of governing coalitions in Turin,
Bologna, Florence and Venice
■ Not prepared to give concessions on the roman
question - tensions between church and state
○ Socialists
■ 1909 encouraging italians to vote in the 150 constituiences
where socialists had a chance of winning
■ Most important concession to socialists in 1906 - policy of
non-intervention in labour disputes
■ Giolitti did manage to neutralise the socialist threat by
making key concessions to the movement
■ Implementing reforms to increase literacy and healthcare
■ Increasing wages
■ Wages increased by 40% between 1900 and 1915
■ 1. Abolished child labour
■ 2. Social insurance and pensions
■ 3. Maternity pay
■ 4. Spending on infrastructure increased 50%
■ 5. Took money away from armed forces
■ 6. Kept govt neutral in industrial disputes (allowed
workers/trade unions to bargain for higher wages)
● Less violence than in 1890s and plans for
revolution muted
● Social and economic reforms to help the poorest
in Italy
● Persuaded some Socialists to join him
■ Demonstrating why Giolitti was able to minimise the
socialist threat to liberal Italy.
■ HOWEVER: The impact of these changes were limited
because:
■ Giolitti ultimately prioritised economic efficiency over
welfare of workers
■ This can be demonstrated by:
■ PSI declared a strike in June 1914
■ Became violent as trade unions seized control of buildings
and factories
■ Known as red week
■ Military had to be used to maintain order
■ This shows that: PSI was unwilling to work within
democratic system
■ Socialism becoming more extreme
■ PSI was internally divided - moderates were on board, but
extreme members believed they were betraying the
Socialist cause and were more influential within the party
■ The impact of this was:
■ Failed to prevent the growth of trade unions and strikes
■ Members of the elite believed Giolitti had made too many
