To what extent had Liberal Italy satisfied the needs of Italians by 1914?
Up until the late 19th century, Italy had been a divided country ruled by foreigners. The Risorgimento is the name given to the period during which Italy became a unified state. By the end of Risorgimento, in 1970, Italy emerged as a united country, and the state was ruled by a constitutional monarchy and an elected parliament. In the decade before 1914, economic growth and the leadership of Giovanni Giolitti offered a new chance for the Liberal state to establish itself. Some historians argue that Liberal Italy was well on its way to security by 1914, others argue that the regime was still far from secure, despite Giolitti’s reforms. There were still many problems in Italy by 1914, mainly social, economic and political.
The first problem of Italy was economic. First and foremost, Italy’s industrial development was limited by the country’s lack of key resources, such as iron and coal. The new Italian government united Italy economically by abolishing tariffs and establishing a single Italian market. However, this harmed what little industry existed in South Italy, which could not compete with the more industrially advanced North. This caused the divide between North and South Italy to deepen. The rapid growth of industry in the North after the turn of the century reinforced that this was still an unresolved Italian problem. Another key problem faced by Liberal Italy was the increase in support for Socialism. The Socialist movement had grown in popularity, and by 1900 there was an organised Socialist party, the PSI, which began winning seats in Parliament. The Socialists were against the Church, and demanded more power for the worker. By 1913, Socialists had 20% of the vote. Giolitti tried to make the state more neutral in industrial disputes, instead of using power against workers. Its shift in approach failed to satisfy the Socialist unions, and growth of the movement increased. This also displeased the industrialists, who began to look for a more authoritarian form of government, which would resist any challenge from workers. Many people of the petty bourgeoisie were worried about the rise of Socialism. They began to see their government as weak, and were beginning to look for an alternative to Liberalism. The problems led up to ‘Red Romagna’, or Red Week, which saw eo areas proclaim themselves as independent republics. A general strike was called but the various Socialist groups failed to organise themselves successfully, so it failed.