Umberto I of Italy: Difference between revisions

 

A major criticism of the policies carried out by the Prime Ministers appointed by Umberto was the continued power of [[organized crime]] in the ''Mezzogiorno'' ([[Southern Italy]]), with the [[Sicilian Mafia|Mafia]] dominating [[Sicily]] and the [[Camorra]] dominating [[Campania]].<ref>{{cite book| author=Denis Mack Smith| title=Italy and Its Monarchy| date=1989| isbn=0300051328| page=164| publisher=Yale University Press}}</ref> Both the Mafia and the Camorra functioned as "parallel states" whose existence and power was tolerated by successive governments in Rome as both the Mafia and the Camorra engaged in [[electoral fraud]] and [[voter intimidation]] so effective that it was Mafia and Camorra bosses who decided who won elections.<ref name="Denis Mack Smith 1989 164–165">{{cite book| author=Denis Mack Smith| title=Italy and Its Monarchy| date=1989| isbn=0300051328| pages=164–165| publisher=Yale University Press}}</ref> As it was impossible to win elections in the ''Mezzogiorno'' without the support of organized crime, politicians cut deals with the bosses of the Camorra and Mafia to exchange toleration of their criminal activities for votes.<ref name="Denis Mack Smith 1989 164–165"/> The ''Mezzogiorno'' was the most backward region of Italy with high levels of poverty, emigration and an illiteracy rate estimated as high as 70%.<ref name="Denis Mack Smith 1989 165">{{cite book| author=Denis Mack Smith| title=Italy and Its Monarchy| date=1989| isbn=0300051328| page=165| publisher=Yale University Press}}</ref> The deputies from the ''Mezzogiorno'' always voted against more schools for the ''Mezzogiorno'', thus perpetuating southern backwardness and poverty as both the Mafia and the Camorra were opposed to any sort of social reform that might threaten their power.<ref name="Denis Mack Smith 1989 165"/> However, the king preferred heavy military spending rather than engaging in social reforms and every year, the Italian state spent 10 times more money on the military than on education.<ref>{{cite book| author=Denis Mack Smith| title=Italy and Its Monarchy| date=1989| isbn=0300051328| page=101| publisher=Yale University Press}}</ref> Umberto, an aggressive proponent of militarism, once said that to accept cuts in the military budget would be "an abject scandal and we might as well give up politics altogether".<ref name="Denis Mack Smith 1989 99">{{cite book| author=Denis Mack Smith| title=Italy and Its Monarchy| date=1989| isbn=0300051328| page=99| publisher=Yale University Press}}</ref> At least part of the reason why Umberto was so opposed to cutting the military budget was because he personally promised Emperor Wilhelm II that Italy would send five army corps to Germany in the event of a war with France, a promise that the king did not see fit to share with his prime ministers.<ref name="Denis Mack Smith 1989 99"/>

Umberto was also favourably disposed towards the policy of [[colonialism|colonial]] expansion inaugurated in 1885 by the occupation of [[Massawa]]<ref name=EB1911/> in [[Italian Eritrea|Eritrea]]. Italy expanded into [[Italian Somaliland|Somalia]] in the 1880s as well. Umberto's preferred solution to the problems of Italy was to conquer Ethiopia, regardless of overwhelming public opposition. He supported the ultra-imperialist Prime Minister [[Francesco Crispi]] who in May 1895 spoke of "the absolute impossibility of continuing to govern through Parliament."<ref name="Denis Mack Smith 1989 115">{{cite book| author=Denis Mack Smith| title=Italy and Its Monarchy| date=1989| isbn=0300051328| page=115| publisher=Yale University Press}}</ref> In December 1893, Umberto appointed Crispi prime minister despite his "shattered reputation" due to his involvement in the [[Banca Romana scandal]] together with numerous other scandals that the king himself called "sordid".<ref name="Denis Mack Smith 1989 106">{{cite book| author=Denis Mack Smith| title=Italy and Its Monarchy| date=1989| isbn=0300051328| page=106| publisher=Yale University Press}}</ref> As Crispi was heavily in debt, the king secretly agreed to pay off his debts in exchange for Crispi following the king's advice.<ref name="Denis Mack Smith 1989 106"/>