Short term significance of the Austro Prussian war to Italian politics and society. The Austro-Prussian War of 1866, Austria contested with Prussia the position of leadership among the German states. The Kingdom of Italy seized the opportunity to capture Venetia from Austrian rule and allied itself with Prussia. Austria tried to persuade the Italian government to accept Venetia in exchange for non-intervention. However, on 8 April, Italy and Prussia signed an agreement that supported Italy's acquisition of Venetia, and on 20 June Italy declared war on Austria.
Past paper questions- Russia in Revolution 1881-1924 From Autocracy to Dictatorship and Stalin’s Russia 1924-53 January 2009 How far were divisions among its opponents responsible for the survival of the Tsarist rule in the years 1881-1905? (30 marks) OR How far was the Provisional Government responsible for its own downfall? (30 marks) How far were economic problems responsible for Stalin’s decision to replace the New Economic Policy in 1928 with the first Five-Year Plan? (30 marks) OR How far was the dramatic development of a war economy responsible for the USSR’s victory in the Second World War? (30 marks) June 2009 How far do you agree that the economy of Tsarist Russia was transformed in the years to 1914?
To what extent had the liberal government created a united Italy by 1900? The liberal government of Italy, founded in 1871 after the unification that made the nation, adopted the task of creating a ‘united’ Italy. The government made certain prosperous changes such as the vast improvements in education and steel production; however there were several matters they had to overcome along the way, including the strong influence from the Pope and the strong North South divide, as well as the fact that the new liberal government was corrupt, these all contributed to Italy being by no means united by 1900. The new Government were condemned from their beginning as The Roman Catholic church had ordered Italians not to vote for the government as it had lost a lot of land during unification; also the Pope refused to recognise the legitimacy of the kingdom of Italy and instructed Italian Catholics to boycott Italian politics. This proved a problem for the newly formed government as Italy was a predominantly Catholic country and many Italians were devoted to the Pope.
There were four main ‘battles’; The Battle for Grain, Battle For the Lira, Battle for Births and Battle of the Marshes. Although they tried to improve the standard of living, the battles failed and did not do much to improve it. The Battle for the Lira had four main aims: fix the lira at 90 to £, reduce inflation, confirm image of Fascism bringing stability to Italy and to show to the Italians and the world that the currency of Italy was a mighty power. The actions that were taken to do this were banks had to institute tight controls on the money supply, then the economy was deflated to drive up the value of the |Lira. In 1927, quota 90 achieved when the lira returned to cold
‘To what extent do you agree that the nationalist movement was the greatest threat facing the liberal government by 1914?’ By 1914, there were a number of threats to the liberal government. Examples of these are from the PSI (the socialist party), nationalists and the Catholic Church. The reasons why these groups were a threat to the liberal government was in part because of the weaknesses of the liberal government itself, and the poor state of the economy under the liberals. The economy especially led to a lack of Italian identity, with very high levels of emigration (mainly to the USA). These factors led to a fragile liberal government, with the main threat in my opinion being posed not by the nationalists but the socialists.
WHAT FACTORS HELPED MUSSOLINI BECOME PRIME MINISTER IN 1922? This essay explains the different factors in which helped Mussolini achieve his political position as Prime Minister of Italy in 1922, ending with the march on Rome. By the end of 1921, Italian politics was in a permanent state of crisis. At that time there was little likelihood the Fascists would ever come into power but there seemed no prospect of political stability by any other political party. At the beginning of 1922, Italy was in a state of permanent political instability.
What debt, if any, did German Nazism owe to Italian Fascism? Analyse the similarities and differences between the two regimes. The First World War has resulted in revolutionary movements across the whole of Europe. The unstable situation did not omit Italy and Germany. In both countries the aftermaths of the war led to frustration amongst the society, economic and political crisis and as a result, to revolution.
It can be suggested that Mazzini’s ideas were a contributing reason for the slow progress of national unity in Italy in the years 1815-1848. However, it is clear that Mazzini’s ideas weren’t the main reason for the slow progress of national unity in Italy. Mazzini’s appeal may have been very narrow and idealistic because of its revolutionary nature; there are other factors that also need to be examined. The most important factor would be the powerful influence of Austria. Others that can be considered to be the reason for slow progress are the nature of the states at this time with reactionary governments and their leaders, regionalism, lack of mass support and Mazzini’s ideas.
However there was a call for unification guided by liberal constitution although it was a slow progress through many years. It could be argued that Mazzini’s ideas were the main reason for the slow progress of national unity in Italy in the years 1815-48. By 1848 Italy was still not unified although many had tried to achieve this such as Mazzini, a dedicated revolutionary. He wanted a strong central government and believed this could be achieved through a series of revolutions. Although he wanted a democratic unified government, many of his ideas were very radical and idealistic.
HST310 20TH CENTURY EUROPE Assignment 2: Major Essay Question 2: Why did Fascism emerge in Europe after the First World War? The term fascism applies to “the only completely new kind of political movement” that arose in Europe in the first half of the twentieth century. Originating in Italy in the early 1920’s, Fascism spread to Germany, Spain and other European nations as a consequence of the political, social and economic crisis conditions triggered by the first World War. Though nationalism was widespread in Europe before the war, it was strengthened by the disappointment caused by the signing of the Treaty of Versailles and the loss of confidence in liberal democracy as a means to effectively and efficiently respond to the ‘post-war crisis'. This provided an opportunity for the revolutionary nationalist movements that offered action-based means to rebuilding nations.