Weaknesses of the Italian political system 1870-1915

lack of Italian Identity
1. dialect variations
2. lack of railways and roads
3. no united education system
The Catholic Church
1. Liberalism is a 'sin'
2. Catholics were instructed not to vote - until threat of Socialism
3. The Pope denounced the Liberal State
Italian Economy
1. Steel production - less than other countries
2. lack of railways
3. North-South divide - made worse by Northern industrialization
4. high taxes on the poor
5. high national debt
Liberal political system
1. based on British system
2. no set political parties - hard for people within the same party to agree
3. Transformismo - weak coalitions were formed, quite unstable
4. Poor weren't allowed to vote until 1912 - Universal Male Suffrage
Challenges to the Liberals
1. no set parties = more difficult for the Liberals to dominate politics
2. 1896 defeat at Adowa - made the Liberals look weak
3. Socialists - viewed regime as a capitalist exploitation
4. Pope - condemned the Liberals
5. Nationalists - viewed the Liberals as weak

Resource summary

	Created by Eva Clifton about 10 years ago