Zusammenfassung der Ressource
S+W Liberal
State
1896-1914
- GIOLITTI WORKING CLASS REFORMS: Child labour
prohibited. Women limited to 11 working
hours a day. Maternity fund for female
industrial workers established in 1910. 1912-
Gave all literate men over the age of 21 the
vote and all men over the age of 30.
- Working class reforms by Giolitti did
not strengthen links with socialists
greatly and extension of franchise led
to long term political problems; system
of trasformismo (controlling elections
through bribery and the use of
prefects) was threatened.
- DISCONTENT AND CHALLENGE FROM
SOCIALISM: Large number of workers in factories
were easier to mobilise for political activity- Sugar
refineries employed over 13,000 workers by 1914 +
over 6000 workers in the car industry in Turin.
- Giolitti maintained neutrality in industrial disputes.
Stopped police and prefects from interfering. Socialist
strikes turned out to be effective; wages in agriculture
and industry went up by 2.5% a year between 1901-11.
Not popular with employers.
- Umbrella organisation of trade unions- the General
Confederation of Labour (CGL). By 1913, the CGL had 327,000
members. Helped to strengthen links with italian socialist party
(PSI). Changing society influenced political stance. Workers were
putting their faith in socialists.
- Election of 1913- Secret deal with Catholics upset the
radical liberals who were bitterly anti-clerical.
- FOREIGN POLICY- Criticised for his unassertive foreign policy,
defence spending was almost non-existence.
Youth saw it as an exciting alternative and the
movement grew after 1909. Nationalist congress
was held in 1910- their main demand was for a
more active foreign policy and greater spending
on defence.
- 1911- Giolitti Went to war with Turkey over Libya. Giolitti was
blamed for the slowness of the war, Nationalists gained credit.
Socialists opposed the war, which created divides there.
- ECONOMY- • Minister of Finance, Sidney Sonnino, got
rid of the government deficit by raising taxes on raw
materials and cutting spending. By 1899- there was an
annual budget surplus and this raised the confidence of
investors.
- Surge in the use of hydroelectric power; 1898- 50,000
kilowatts generated, 1914- 1 million kilowatts. Helped free
dependency on coal& assisted steel production which
increased to 930,000 tons in 1914.
- Economic miracle had social implications in widening
the North-South divide. Almost all the industrial
development was in Piedmont and Lombardy. Wheat
yields in the North were 1.5 tons per hectare compared
to 0.6 in the south (Sicily).
- CATHOLICS- Pope Piux Xi stopped Italians from voting in general elections. Church
founded Opera dei Congressi, controlled 155 journals and 24 banks. Threat of socialism.
1897- Liberal gov did good job in limiting influence of Catholics by dissolving many of their
institutions. However, by 1898 the persecution was dropped. 1904- pope gave Catholics
permission to vote where socialists might win. 1909- openly stood for election. Growing
activities of Catholics in polticis made it harder to implement trasformismo as like the
socialists, they managed to mobilise popular support.