The Italian government also had to face disillusioned war soldiers who felt their war efforts were not reciprocated with the poor peace settlements received by the Italy. As a result, soldiers felt Liberalism would be unable to create the powerful, dynamic Italy they wanted. Many Italians came to realise that the mutilated victory only helped to gain only 12 miles in total. 650,000 men died in the war effort leaving many families grieving, angered by the Liberal government’s policy of Conscription, which forced men to participate in the war. At the end of the war Italy’s gain seemed almost zero when it was put against the huge human losses of life.
Not only was the human loss huge, but financially Italy was crippled too. When funds proved to be insufficient, the government resorted to printing money. The effect produced inflation where prices quadrupled dramatically. The middle class were most affected and savings were destroyed. The liberal government had to lift a nation out of its spiralling debts, which were estimated to be $85 billion lire in 1919. Landowners and state employees also suffered. These people were some of the many in the long queue expressing their anger at the financial handling by the Liberal government.
Apart from the Nationalists, the revolution in Russia inspired many people who wanted the same to occur in Italy. The number of socialist members was on the up and by 1919 there were 200,000 members keen to abandon the commitment of gradual reform started by the liberals and use violence, overthrowing the Liberals in the process. Many agricultural labourers in the provinces of Emilia and Romagna were joining trade unions. By the time the first elections were held where all men could vote, 32.4% of the national vote and 156 seats were won by the Socialist Party, leaving the liberal government with an uphill task of assuring the middle classes and conservatives that the rise was only temporary and any possible revolution would be squashed immediately.
Factories were left counting their losses as the Veneto victory meant the liberals no longer had to buy expensive war products and the high products made by the factories during the war years decreased. Reluctance to take on new workers led to unemployment.
Unemployment hit the state hard and by 1919, 2 million were left unemployed. Many of these would be soldiers returning from the war and the concept of unemployment after their services seemed to frustrate and disappoint them.
