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Italy's Quest for Great Power Status 1871–1943

From neutrality to intervention 1914–15

  • 3 things to know
  • AS Unit 2

Overview

Giolitti's parecchio argument and radiant Days of May.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

Why could the Entente outbid the Central Powers?

Key term

What territory was Italy promised by the Treaty of London?

Numbers

What were the Radiant Days of May?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    On what grounds did Italy declare neutrality in 1914?

    Model answer

    Italy declared its neutrality on 3 August 1914, arguing that the Triple Alliance was purely defensive and that Austria-Hungary had acted as the aggressor against Serbia without the consultation Article VII required.

  2. 2

    What military reasons argued for staying out in 1914?

    Model answer

    The army had been worn down by the Libyan campaign, was short of artillery, machine guns and stores, and the Chief of Staff advised that Italy could not take the field effectively before the spring of 1915.

  3. 3

    Which groups in Italy favoured neutrality?

    Model answer

    Most Liberal deputies who followed Giolitti, the Catholics and the Socialist Party all opposed intervention, so a majority of the Chamber and probably of the country wanted Italy to stay out.

  4. 4

    What was Giolitti's parecchio argument?

    Model answer

    Giolitti argued in January 1915 that Italy could obtain a good deal, parecchio, from Austria-Hungary by negotiation without fighting for it, and that no gain was worth the cost of a European war.

  5. 5

    What did Salandra mean by sacro egoismo?

    Model answer

    Salandra declared that Italian policy would be guided by sacred self-interest, meaning that Italy would join whichever side offered the greater gains rather than act on sentiment or on treaty loyalty.

  6. 6

    With whom did Salandra and Sonnino negotiate in 1914–15?

    Model answer

    Salandra and his Foreign Minister Sonnino bargained with both camps at once, pressing Austria-Hungary for the cession of Italian-speaking lands while simultaneously negotiating with Britain, France and Russia.

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