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Italy 1870-1943

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In 1921 fascist get 31 seat in parliament out of 535 as part of government ... The Fascist grand council another limb governing body controlled by the dictator ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Italy 1870-1943


1
Italy 1870-1943
  • Italy before and during Mussolini

2
(No Transcript)
3
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.

4
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)

5
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

6
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.

7
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?

8
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)

9
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.

10
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.

11
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.

12
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.

13
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

14
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?

15
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

16
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

17
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.

18
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.

19
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

20
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

21
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

22
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

23
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

24
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

25
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

26
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.

27
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.

28
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

29
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

30
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).
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