Problems and opportunities facing Italy
- 1904 – Pope Pius X allowed Catholics to vote but only in constituencies where a socialist might win
- use of electric power increased – 1 million KW were generated
- more than 50% of population in south were illiterate
- Malaria was a huge problem in the south killing 15,000 people annually
Liberal state
- chamber of deputies elected every 5 years
- transformismo – series of informal personal groupings with no formal links to political constituencies
- for most of Italy, Italy was the country that enforced them to pay taxes and do military service
Giolitti
- kept files on the weaknesses of every deputy in the Italian parliament
- focused on making Italy a modern, industrialised, successful country where masses were unified by shared values
Socialists
- 1913 = gained 25% of votes
- 1910 – introduced maternity fund
- 1902 – limited working day for women to 11 hours
- party was split between reformists and maximalists – Giolitti couldn’t overcome this radical element
Nationalists
- believed only through foreign policy could expand Italy’s power in Africa so promised a powerful state
- selfish aims
Catholics
- Giolitti recognised their power
- 1904 – ‘’parallel lines’’
- 1904 – allowed a divorce bill pass before he took office
Invasion of Libya
- deal in 1902 – Italy would support French expansion in Morocco in return for their support of Italian influence in Libya
- 1911 – France consolidated control over Morocco so Giolitti expanded influence over Libya
- gained support of nationalists, Catholics and united people behind his government
- 29th Sep 1911 – 70,000 troops invaded and received little support from Libya
- Italians forced 13 Turkish-held islands in the Aegean Sea as Turkey had begun a war in Oct 1912 – involved Greece,
Bulgaria etc. Submitted defeat to Italy on 8th Oct
- Italy had to keep 50,000 troops and costed 3500 Italian deaths
- PSI’s revolutionary wing of party seized control and rejected further co-operation with Giolitti
Impact of Franchise Extension of 1912
- 70% of Italy’s voters were potentially illiterate
- 1912 = vote given to all men who completed military and all over 30
- hoped would undermine PSI and promote unity