Giolitti’s attempt to ‘absorb’ the nationalists in 1911 was the Libyan war. The war was meant to raise national unity; however it caused an increase in support for the ANI and made their opposition to the liberal government stronger. The nationalists took credit for the war and denounced the liberals, blaming them for the loss of so many men during the fighting. This furthermore caused a split and loss of support from the socialist party who opposed the war and were becoming more and more angered by Giolitti’s growing compromise with the liberals.
The growth of nationalism was a key factor in Giolitti’s failure, however there were other reasons. In 1911, Giolitti extended the vote from literate men aged 21 and over to any who had completed military service and any men over 30, regardless of literacy. Despite the apparent fact that around 70% of voters were now potentially illiterate, Giolitti hoped that it would encourage national unity and popularity of the liberals. However, mass suffrage meant that Catholics and nationalists found that the powers of religion and patriotism gained them a lot of support from the Italian people who now had the vote. As a result, the election in 1913 lost 71 sears and it was apparent that Giolitti’s programme had failed.
Another reason for Giolitti’s failure was the deal between Count Gentiloni (the president of the Catholic electoral party) and the liberals. He secretly asked the liberals to agree to 7 key policies in return for the catholic vote. Gentiloni then boasted after that around 228 liberal deputies owed their victory to Catholics. Regardless of whether Giolitti’s claim that he knew nothing about the pact was true or not, the liberals found themselves reliant on support from the Catholic Church. Giolitti’s concessions with the Church angered both socialists and anticlerical liberals, they withdrew their support in 1914 and subsequently, Giolitti resigned.
In conclusion I do think that the nationalists were in some ways the main reason for Giolitti’s programme failing. Their growth in power, as Giolitti’s largest threat scared him into attempts to lessen their power (e.g. the Libyan war) that failed on several levels. However I do think that other events such as the changes in suffrage and the pact with Count Gentiloni added to Giolitti’s failure.
by
tbethybooaolcom (student)
