Explain the attitudes of the Neutralists and Interventionists to Italys entry in the First World War

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Explain the attitudes of the Neutralists and Interventionists to Italy’s entry in the First World War

On the eve of the First World War, Italy’s political landscape was changing. One of the key issues that divided the different parties was the question on whether or not they should go to war. Those that supported the war were known as Interventionists.

Interventionist parties included the Futurists, Nationalists, some Socialists and some Liberals. The Futurists, led by Marinetti, desired war because they wished to see Italy be restored to the great nation it once was. They believed that the people were too stuck in the past, so they wished to destroy all records and start again – they hoped war would help achieve this goal. A quote attributed to them is, “long live war the world’s best hygiene!”

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The Nationalists had similar ideas; they wanted Italy to be great again and believed that war and violence would lead to Italy becoming a great power and remove feelings of inferiority. Their leader, Corradini, was particularly concerned with the irredentist lands. These were lands that were ruled by foreigners, such as Trieste and South Tyrol. He believed war would reclaim these lands for Italy. They also had imperial ambitions and believed Italy was entitled to colonies. Some Nationalists also viewed war as an opportunity to bring down a weak Liberal government

Others that supported the war included the syndicalists and ...

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