A-Level Italy Revision:
(Paper 2)
Useful Resources:
JSTOR
Oxford Academic
Acamedia (free sign-in and access)
https://primolevicenter.org/printed-matter/the-murder-of-giacomo-matteotti-sources-and-interpretations/ (Matteotti)
https://personal.lse.ac.uk/larcines/enfranchisement_nyu.pdf (LSE - Political Engagement)
https://www.gla.ac.uk/media/Media_224799_smxx.pdf (Liberal State - University of Glasgow)
https://www.historyhit.com/how-did-mussolini-come-to-power/ (Rise of Mussolini – Podcast)
https://www.thecollector.com/why-italy-switch-sides-world-wars/ (Italy WWI and WWII)
Italian PM’S 1911-1946:
Luigi Luzzatti: 31 March 1910 - 30 March 1911
Giovanni Giollitti: 30 March 1911 - 21 March 1914
Antonio Salandra: 21 March 1914 – 18 June 1916
Paolo Boselli: 18 June 1916 – 30 October 1917
Vittorio Orlando: 30 October 1917 – 23 June 1919
Francesco Nitti: 23 June 1919 – 15 June 1920
Giovanni Giollitti: 15 June 1920 – 4 July 1921
Ivanoe Bonomi: 4 July 1921 – 26 February 1922
Luigi Facta: 26 February 1922 – 31 October 1922
Benito Mussolini: 31 October 1922 – 25 July 1943
Marshal Pietro Badoglio: 25 July 1943 – 18 June 1944
Ivanoe Bonomi: 18 June 1944 – 21 June 1945
Ferruccio Parri: 21 June 1945 – 10 December 1945
Alcide De Gasperi: 10 December 1945 – 13 July 1946
, The Liberal State:
• When Italy was unified in 1870, 69% of Italians were illiterate, 80% in the south.
• Diseases such as Rickets, Typhus and Cholera were common from the outset.
• By 1911, national illiteracy was 37.6% and by 1914 life expectancy = rest of Europe.
• Giolitti introduced a minimum working age of 12, a maximum working day and reduced
food taxes to aid poor, less working hours harmed them (counterproductive).
• Between 1912-1913, 1.5 million people left, skills and intellectual drain to America.
• Giolitti often used Trasformismo and bribery but never accepted Socialists in
government except certain respected PSI deputies.
• In 1913 Giolitti made concessions to the Catholic Church (e.g. regarding civil marriage
preceding a religious service) to gain votes which the Pope agreed to. Giolitti refused
however to back down on the Roman Question, returning lands to the Catholic Church.
• The Nationalists were formed in 1910 and had huge support by 1914, campaigned on
issues related to foreign policy, and failures by previous governments, (e.g. defeat at
Adowa in 1896, worst ever defeat for a European power in Africa, 5000 Italian lives lost).
• In September 1911, Italy invaded Libya fighting the Turks and Arabs who saw them as
enemies, not liberators. Due to the Balkans War, the Ottomans (then referred to as the
‘sick man of Europe’) could not afford to fight and ceded power of 13 Aegean Islands.
• The First Treaty of Lausanne (1912) – Established Italian rule over Libya and the removal
of Ottoman influence from N. Africa.
• In 1918, Orlando introduced universal male suffrage as a ‘reward’ for WWI efforts.
• In 1919, Nitti introduced PR as a voting system, replacing FPTP.
• The Invasion of Libya cost 1,300 million lire and 3,500 Italian lives.
• WWI cost Italy approximately 65 billion lire and 750,000 Italian lives.
• 1912, all literate males over 21 and all males over 30 were enfranchised (previously,
only 25% of men had the vote, women would not get this right until 1945), seen as a
‘reward’ for conscripted men, and a way of creating national unity for the Libyan War.
• Significant North-South divide due to state investment in the North (e.g. profits of Lancia
and Alfa in the North grew by 10.6% 1896-1913). Industrial North, agricultural south.
• 1901-1911 number of industrial workers increased to 2 million, Genoa, Milan and Turin
accounted for 55% of industrial wealth.
• 1910, the North had 48% of wealth and paid 40% of taxes, in the south 27% wealth and
32% of taxes.
• Between 1900-1911, there were 9 governments, deputies elected every 5 years whilst
senators were appointed by the Constitutional King for life.
• By 1913, the PSI was winning 20% of the vote, Liberals lose 52 seats.
• March 1914 Giolitti resigned as PM as he supported a neutral, not militaristically
involved approach to WWI, a position which Italy would only uphold until 1915, after
Giolitti’s resignation a more aggressive politics emerged.
• Giovanni Giolitti returned to Rome in May 1915 with a parliamentary majority opposed
to entering the war, arguing that Italy was not obliged to join the conflict. King Victor
(Paper 2)
Useful Resources:
JSTOR
Oxford Academic
Acamedia (free sign-in and access)
https://primolevicenter.org/printed-matter/the-murder-of-giacomo-matteotti-sources-and-interpretations/ (Matteotti)
https://personal.lse.ac.uk/larcines/enfranchisement_nyu.pdf (LSE - Political Engagement)
https://www.gla.ac.uk/media/Media_224799_smxx.pdf (Liberal State - University of Glasgow)
https://www.historyhit.com/how-did-mussolini-come-to-power/ (Rise of Mussolini – Podcast)
https://www.thecollector.com/why-italy-switch-sides-world-wars/ (Italy WWI and WWII)
Italian PM’S 1911-1946:
Luigi Luzzatti: 31 March 1910 - 30 March 1911
Giovanni Giollitti: 30 March 1911 - 21 March 1914
Antonio Salandra: 21 March 1914 – 18 June 1916
Paolo Boselli: 18 June 1916 – 30 October 1917
Vittorio Orlando: 30 October 1917 – 23 June 1919
Francesco Nitti: 23 June 1919 – 15 June 1920
Giovanni Giollitti: 15 June 1920 – 4 July 1921
Ivanoe Bonomi: 4 July 1921 – 26 February 1922
Luigi Facta: 26 February 1922 – 31 October 1922
Benito Mussolini: 31 October 1922 – 25 July 1943
Marshal Pietro Badoglio: 25 July 1943 – 18 June 1944
Ivanoe Bonomi: 18 June 1944 – 21 June 1945
Ferruccio Parri: 21 June 1945 – 10 December 1945
Alcide De Gasperi: 10 December 1945 – 13 July 1946
, The Liberal State:
• When Italy was unified in 1870, 69% of Italians were illiterate, 80% in the south.
• Diseases such as Rickets, Typhus and Cholera were common from the outset.
• By 1911, national illiteracy was 37.6% and by 1914 life expectancy = rest of Europe.
• Giolitti introduced a minimum working age of 12, a maximum working day and reduced
food taxes to aid poor, less working hours harmed them (counterproductive).
• Between 1912-1913, 1.5 million people left, skills and intellectual drain to America.
• Giolitti often used Trasformismo and bribery but never accepted Socialists in
government except certain respected PSI deputies.
• In 1913 Giolitti made concessions to the Catholic Church (e.g. regarding civil marriage
preceding a religious service) to gain votes which the Pope agreed to. Giolitti refused
however to back down on the Roman Question, returning lands to the Catholic Church.
• The Nationalists were formed in 1910 and had huge support by 1914, campaigned on
issues related to foreign policy, and failures by previous governments, (e.g. defeat at
Adowa in 1896, worst ever defeat for a European power in Africa, 5000 Italian lives lost).
• In September 1911, Italy invaded Libya fighting the Turks and Arabs who saw them as
enemies, not liberators. Due to the Balkans War, the Ottomans (then referred to as the
‘sick man of Europe’) could not afford to fight and ceded power of 13 Aegean Islands.
• The First Treaty of Lausanne (1912) – Established Italian rule over Libya and the removal
of Ottoman influence from N. Africa.
• In 1918, Orlando introduced universal male suffrage as a ‘reward’ for WWI efforts.
• In 1919, Nitti introduced PR as a voting system, replacing FPTP.
• The Invasion of Libya cost 1,300 million lire and 3,500 Italian lives.
• WWI cost Italy approximately 65 billion lire and 750,000 Italian lives.
• 1912, all literate males over 21 and all males over 30 were enfranchised (previously,
only 25% of men had the vote, women would not get this right until 1945), seen as a
‘reward’ for conscripted men, and a way of creating national unity for the Libyan War.
• Significant North-South divide due to state investment in the North (e.g. profits of Lancia
and Alfa in the North grew by 10.6% 1896-1913). Industrial North, agricultural south.
• 1901-1911 number of industrial workers increased to 2 million, Genoa, Milan and Turin
accounted for 55% of industrial wealth.
• 1910, the North had 48% of wealth and paid 40% of taxes, in the south 27% wealth and
32% of taxes.
• Between 1900-1911, there were 9 governments, deputies elected every 5 years whilst
senators were appointed by the Constitutional King for life.
• By 1913, the PSI was winning 20% of the vote, Liberals lose 52 seats.
• March 1914 Giolitti resigned as PM as he supported a neutral, not militaristically
involved approach to WWI, a position which Italy would only uphold until 1915, after
Giolitti’s resignation a more aggressive politics emerged.
• Giovanni Giolitti returned to Rome in May 1915 with a parliamentary majority opposed
to entering the war, arguing that Italy was not obliged to join the conflict. King Victor
