Weaknesses of the Italian political system 1870-1915

Weaknesses of the Italian political system 1870-1915

1. lack of Italian Identity

   • dialect variations
   • lack of railways and roads
   • no united education system

2. The Catholic Church

   • Liberalism is a 'sin'
   • Catholics were instructed not to vote - until threat of Socialism
   • The Pope denounced the Liberal State

3. Italian Economy

   • Steel production - less than other countries
   • lack of railways
   • North-South divide - made worse by Northern industrialization
   • high taxes on the poor
   • high national debt

4. Liberal political system

   • based on British system
   • no set political parties - hard for people within the same party to agree
   • Transformismo - weak coalitions were formed, quite unstable
   • Poor weren't allowed to vote until 1912 - Universal Male Suffrage

5. Challenges to the Liberals

   • no set parties = more difficult for the Liberals to dominate politics
   • 1896 defeat at Adowa - made the Liberals look weak
   • Socialists - viewed regime as a capitalist exploitation
   • Pope - condemned the Liberals
   • Nationalists - viewed the Liberals as weak