Post WW1 Italy

Question 1

How many notes did dannunzio drop over Vienna?

Answer 1

50000

Question 2

What was the mutilated victory?

Answer 2

The idea that Italy may have been on the winning side in WW1, but this meant very little as they did not receive all the land they felt they deserved as a result. This is encapsulated by Fiume, as despite being claimed by Italy, it was taken by allied troops instead

Question 3

Dannunzio sized control of Fiume with how many ex-soldiers?

Answer 3

300

Question 4

After a year, giolitti finally sent in troops to reassert his authority in Fiume. What prompted this?

Answer 4

Rumours that dannunzio would match on Rome

Question 5

List some of the reasons why Mussolini may have seen dannunzio as a rival

Answer 5

• dannunzio was far more famous than Mussolini until 1922
• he accused Mussolini of thing fascism
• he accused Mussolini of not properly supporting his occupation of Fiume
• it seems as though Mussolini may have had something to do with dannunzio falling out of a balcony and being put out of action

Question 6

List some of the reasons why Mussolini may have seen dannunzio as an inspiration

Answer 6

• dannunzio inspired many of the ideas and symbols of fascism that would be co-opted by Mussolini later - like the Roman straight arm salute and the skull and crossbones on the uniform
• Mussolini seemed to copy his idea for a march on Rome

Question 7

List the problems faced by postwar italy

Answer 7

• the government had made big promises after Caporetto that would be hard to fulfil
• nationalists were bitter about the lack of territorial gain
• there were tens of thousands of unemployed officers looking to assert themselves
• many who missed the camaraderie of the trenches were drawn to fascism
• the Russian Revolution had inspired the socialists
• workers organised strikes
• the socialists made gains in the national and local elections
• the government made concessions but failed to appease the socialist whilst also stirring up the right
• returning peasant soldiers seized land
• inflation undermined living standards
• now the war was over, there was less demand for industrial production

Question 8

What two democratic reforms were introduced in 1918?

Answer 8

Universal manhood suffrage and proportional representation

Question 9

Why are the 1919 elections seen as a wasted opportunity?

Answer 9

Because the PPI and PSI could have come together to form a parliamentary majority, but didn’t

Question 10

What was the PPI?

Answer 10

A pope-approved, church-independent party set up to represent catholic interests

Question 11

What reforms did the post-1919 transformismo government pass

Answer 11

Bread subsidies, 8-hour working day and fairer taxation. Despite this, those in power still failed to appease the radicals and worries many of the elite

Question 12

What made postwar socialism strong in Italy?

Answer 12

• red flags flew from town halls
• socialist leaders made revolutionary speeches
• the hammer and sickle appeared on many postage stamps
• Avanti had 300,000 readers
• The PSI had 200,000 members
• there was a wave of strikes
• 1919-1921 was known as the biennio rosso (two red years)

Question 13

What made postwar socialism weak in Italy?

Answer 13

• the threat of socialism drove many of the elite to support and fund fascism
• the socialist party was split between the minimalists and maximalists
• the maximalists controlled organisation but the minimalists were the ones in government
• unlike the fascists, they had no powerful leaders to unite behind
• socialists were resented for not participating in the war
• socialist division and failure to work together contribute to their weakness and was a major factor in the fascists rising to power

Question 14

List some of the metrics that highlight how hard WW1 has been on Italy

Answer 14

• 5 million conscripted
• 2.5 years at war
• 1 million wounded
• 148 billion lire cost
• 600,000 dead
• debt rose from 16 billion in 1914 to 85 billion in 1918
• 413 price index
• 75 hour workweek
• wages had fallen by 25%
• 50 people were killed in bread riots