Italy 1870-1943

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Italy 1870-1943

• Italy before and during Mussolini

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Italian unification

• 1848 liberal uprisings (Garibaldi Mazzini)
• 1859 France supports Piedmont in gaining most of
  Italy from Austria and Kingdom of the Two
  Sicilies
• 1866 Veneto added to Italy from Austria
• 1870 Papal state (Rome) added to Italy after
  defeat of Napoleon III to Prussia.

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The new state

• Parliamentary government
• Voting based on property and literacy
• 8 of adult males 1870
• South down to 2-3
• The king commands land and naval forces
• Weak political parties ministers velded
  different coalitions lead to transformism (see
  tb)

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All kinds of problems

• High illiteracy from 90 to 10 in the south
  (emmigration)
• Slow industrial growth, agricultural backwardness
  in the south,
• Landowners and mafia strong
• Growing socialist party
• Catholic church enemy of state
• Encouraged catholics to boycott elections to 1904
• Growing nationalism --- irredentism

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Industrialization picked up around 1900

• Unification not built on economic unity
• Unification left great debt
• In the north some benefit of contact with Western
  Europe and enough water-power
• Railroad building did not have immediate effect
• 1887 tariff walls, some improvement
• By 1914 Italy was a developing industrial power
  but not among the great industrial powers.

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Agriculture

• 1870 60 of working population employed on land
• Latifundia in south extreme poverty and wealth
• 40 consumed by farmers themselves,
• Was Italy fit for war?

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Foreign policy

• Nationalist wanted to gain South-Tyrol, Istria,
  Dalmatia from Austria
• Declining relationship with France made this
  impossible
• Consequently Italy turned to colonialism
• Crispi struggle for Abyssinia led to disaster in
  Adowa 1896
• In Northern Africa Italy got Libya from falling
  Turkey 1912 (Balkan wars)

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Italy during war.

• Italy Drives a Hard Bargain
• Italy was divided.
• One group favored neutrality.
• And felt that Italy should be paid for its
  neutrality.
• Like obtaining Trentino and Trieste from Austria.
• The Church feared that Italy would find itself at
  war with another Catholic State Austria.
• Those around the King Victor Emanuel III.
• Then there was Mussolini.

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Pro-War Italians

• Initially Benito Mussolini, who was a Socialist
  editor, opposed the Tripolitanian war in 1911.
• But swung over to support World War I.
• This was done in his paper Popolo dItalia.
• More influential than Mussolini was Gabriele
  DAnnunzio.
• He appealed to anyone who was disillusioned with
  the Italian political system.
• He felt war would regenerate Italy.
• He would develop a mass movement that the
  fascists would adopt.

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The Treaty of London (1915)

• The Italian Government was negotiating with both
  sides.
• The Allies agreed that if Italy went to war Italy
  would receive
• South Tyrol to the Brenner Pass.
• Trieste.
• Part of Albania.
• Turkish territory.
• As well as an indemnity from the defeated.

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The Last Sane Man

• The Italians signed the Treaty of London in April
  1915.
• And agreed to enter the war a month later.
• The last voice opposed to war was Giovanni
  Giolitti.
• Before the Italian government would introduce a
  resolution for war on May 18, 1915.
• Mobs roamed the streets of Rome called for the
  death of Giolitti.
• Those opposed to Italys entry into the war were
  assaulted in the streets.
•   Italians wanted war how mistaken only time
  will tell.

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Rise of fascist party

• Social frustration after ww1 because of peace
  treaty and economic crises
• Italy didnt get Dalmatia
• DAnnunzio occupied Fiume
• inflation and strikes
• 1919 first Fasci de combattimento by Mussolini
  (populist-socialist program)
• after election failure 1919 the party turned to
  right with emphasis on nationalism and
  anti-bolshevism Mussolini thought that easier
  path to power

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March on Rome

• In 1921 fascist get 31 seat in parliament out of
  535 as part of government alliance
• acted as saviors of nation from general strike in
  August 22
• coup detat 27.oct 1922 when 26000 fascist
  marched on Rome.
• King Victor Emmanuel refused to sign martial law
  and appointed Mussolini prime minister.
• Why? What was going on?

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Consolidation of power

• Acerbo law 1923
• In 1923 Mussolini is still only a prime minister
  with small backing in a democratic state.
• The Acerbo laws biggest party in elections gets
  two thirds of deputies. (Liberals supported)
  Elections in 1924.
• In 1928 all candidates for elections choosen by
  fascists
• Aventine seccession in June 24
• After the murder of socialist Matteotti
• socialists left the parliament
• and Victor Emmannuel still supported Mussolini
  when he banned the socialist party

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Towards dictatorship

• 1925 - Strenghening of party organization
• Ban on other parties than fascists 1926
• Reign of terror -harrassing opponents and
  newspapers
• Foundation of secret police OVRA
• 1926 parliament looses its lawmaking power.
• 1928 King looses power to appoint prime minister
• Labor uninons removed 1926 and 22 corporations
  replace them in 1930-36

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The corporate state

• In name the corporates should replace the
  parliament as the power base of the new state put
  in practice the were an elaborate piece of
  imposing humbug.
• Corporates associations of workers and employers
  in each branch of the economy but in fact
  controlled from Rome.
• Corporates should decentralize government but the
  opposite happened. In the same vain local
  government was appointed from Rome and even local
  party officials were appointed from Rome.
• The Fascist grand council another limb governing
  body controlled by the dictator himself.

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Mussolinis rule

• Italy was governed by the personal dictatorship
  of Mussolini
• Controlled state and party.
• No Himmler or Göring
• Mussolini was more of a propaganda man and
  selfaggrandiser.
• Concordat with the church.
• Propaganda. Battle for births. (in an
  overpopulated country) Emphasized the greatness
  of Italy.

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The Economy

• Self-sufficiency and protectionism
• increase in electricity and car production
• The battle for grain (Italian grain at 50 higher
  prices than American grain.
• More damage than advantage say economic
  historians.
• Unemployment rose and living standards declined

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Fascist theory

• How did this originally small party gain power?
  What is the social and political background
• What was the political theory of the fascists?
• What was the role of Mussolini
• For answers look at the historical debate

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Facist education

• Fascist culture a compulsory subject
• Party censorship of textbooks
• History suffered especially (317 to 1)
• Balilla youth organization
• Dopolavoro umbrella for workers leisure
• kraft durch freude

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Foreign policy

• I want to make Italy great, respected and feared
• Nationalistic policy
• Aims open and hidden
• Security from Germany and France
• Influence in the Balkans
• When this achieved
• mediterranean and African empire

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Action

• Corfu incident 1923
• 1924 Italy got Fiume
• Influence in Albania from 1926
• Alliance with Austria and Hungary...
• Mussolini supported Austria after the murder of
  Dolfuss 1934
• Participated in Locarno and Kellog-Briand and
  Stresa

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Riding with Hitler

• Oct. 1935 invasion of Abyssinia
• League imposed limited sanctions
• Oil, coal, iron, steel excluded and Suez-canal
  open
• Anger towards West shifted to Germany
• Very limited gain corrupt and profitless
  colonial empire
• 1936 supporting Franco in Spain
• 1936 Berlin Rome axis

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Munich and war

• Mussolini planned the Munich meeting
• Invasion of Albania 1939
• Pact of steel with Germany military alliance
• Still Italians were not ready for war

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Historical interpretations of Mussolini's foreign
policy

• Mussolini had no basic principle of foreign
  policy He was out to gain prestige for himself
  and Italy, and expand (Balkans and Africa). He
  had an opportunistic attitude towards other
  countries in Europe. Basically, he seized
  opportunities as they came.

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Historical interpretations of Mussolini's foreign
policy

• II) Mussolini was Britain's "Lost Ally" Mussolini
  tried to be Britain and France's ally, but after
  the conquest of Abyssinia (1935-6), relations
  became difficult and cold. As Italy was
  economically and militarily weak, it needed a
  powerful ally abroad in order to have weight and
  achieve gains. Therefore Mussolini turned to
  Hitler.

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Mussolini and war

• Italy in no way prepared for war
• Campaign against Greece (oct 1940) a disaster
• July 1943 allied troops land in Sicily and th
  efascist grand councel voted for the end of
  Mussolinis government
• Mussolini had lost support of church, army and
  aristocrats.
• Victor Emmanuel took over and appointed Badoglio
  prime minister

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Italy in war

• Badoglio starts negotiation with allies
• Germans occupy Italy and battle with the allies
• Still German troops in Italy at the end of war

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Historical interpretations of Mussolini's foreign
policy

• III) Mussolini the traditional Italian There is
  no Fascist foreign policy as such. Mussolini
  simply carried on with his predecessors'
  priorities of expanding in the Balkans
  (Mediterranean) and Africa.
• IV) Mussolini had domestic problems Mussolini was
  a prisoner of Italy's internal problems. Public
  opinion expected foreign expansion from
  Mussolini. This was also seen as a way out of
  economic problems (new market for Italian goods).