Includes bibliographical references (pages 331-353) and index.
pt. 1. Giolittian Italy, 1901-1914. 1. The political economy of Giolittian Italy: the dilemmas of welfare, warfare, and development -- pt. 2. World War I, August 1914-November 1918. 2. The collapse of the Italian fiscal system. 3. The limits of state borrowing capacity. 4. Monetary policy and the banking system. 5. International accounts: Italy's loss of financial independence -- pt. 3. The post-war crisis, November 1918-October 1922. 6. A difficult readjustment: the political economy of the Orlando and Nitti governments, November 1918-June 1920. 7. From Giolitti to Mussolini: monetary and financial stabilization, and political collapse.
0
Professor Forsyth provides an important new interpretation of the crisis of democracy in Italy after World War I. He argues that liberal governments after 1918 failed to balance the conflicting claims of great power conflicts, social welfare, economic growth, and macroeconomic stability in a harsh economic environment. Postwar liberal leaders put stability ahead of the redistributive social policies that would have been necessary to secure broad electoral support: this failure led to parliamentary deadlock and Mussolini's seizure of power.--Publisher description.