448 



ITALY. 



turbance of the European equilibrium, the Ital- 

 ian Government has burdened itself with the 

 most grievously oppressive military establish- 

 ment in Europe. This has hindered the polit- 

 ical development of the nation and the natural 

 tendencies to improvement. The dominant 

 party is composed of men who were extreme- 

 ly radical in their opinions, and passed, many 

 of them, for republicans when in opposition. 

 Yet these radicals in office are more timidly 

 conservative than the party of the Right whom 

 they succeeded. They have with difficulty 

 been able to unite on reforms which the most 

 moderate among them considered imperative 

 before they came into power. Much of their 

 attention is given to watching the European 

 horizon and coquetting with other powers for 

 an advantageous alliance in the next European 

 convulsion. The exotic military system under 

 which the people groan is fostered and con- 

 stantly enlarged with the approval of all par- 

 ties. The party in power has checked all natu- 

 ral leanings to national friendships or antipa- 

 thies, and has kept the country in absolute 

 isolation, waiting to make the best bargain 

 with the monster armaments which are will- 

 ingly supported in the midst of profound peace 

 by this overtaxed and peace-loving people. 

 This attitude was in its relations to internal 

 politics a natural and logical one for the group 

 of men who guide the helm of state to assume, 

 for they occupy a neutral ground in politics, 

 and balance themselves between the republican 

 tendencies which are derived from France and 

 the monarchic ideas which predominate in 

 Central Europe. The connection of the house 

 of Savoy with the achievement of Italian 

 union gives the reigning dynasty the strongest 

 title to loyalty enjoyed by any monarchs in 

 Europe, and the circumstances under which 

 their kingdom was founded prescribe for this 

 line of sovereigns a policy of liberality toward 

 democratic tendencies from which they have 

 not yet shown any tendency to depart. The 

 Left, which has been in power since 1876, num- 

 bers among its leaders men who have always 

 passed for republicans. The party is composed 

 of the democratic followers of Ratazzi. Yet 

 they are as earnest in their protestations of 

 loyalty to the monarchy as their opponents, 

 and do not differ from them in principles. 

 Probably a large majority of the Italian people 

 are republicans in theory, but the Red Repub- 

 licans and Socialists are fewer in number than 

 in any other country, and even they recognize 

 that the strength of Italy is in the constitutional 

 monarchy under the present conditions. The 

 latter class, in other countries the uncompro- 

 mising denunciators of militarism and interna- 

 tional warfare, in Italy clamor for the conquest 

 of the " unredeemed " provinces, or insult the 

 Church, impatient to provoke the conflict in 

 which Italy is to prove the prowess of her 

 arms and acquire the prestige of victory. Mili- 

 tary prestige is felt by all parties to be the 

 chief need of Italy, and those who hold the 



most advanced and radical views are the most 

 impatient to attain it, deeming that their ideas 

 will not have scope for development until Ital- 

 ians have won in battle the liberty to manage 

 their affairs as they will without danger of for- 

 eign interference. The Conservative party 

 would have proceeded with the national arma- 

 ment and defenses more rapidly than the Left 

 has done, and would have pursued a more ag- 

 gressive policy and taken an active part in the 

 European combinations. The cautious and 

 temporizing ministerial party have been driven 

 by the gust of popular indignation which fol- 

 lowed the French intervention in Tunis, if 

 they would not otherwise have drifted, to- 

 ward the alliance approved by the Opposition. 

 The effect of the injury dealt to Italian pres- 

 tige in Tunis by France has been to obliterate 

 the sentiments of revenge toward Austria and 

 remove the danger to the country of becoming 

 inflamed and plunged into a war on account of 

 Italia irredenta.* The aggressive aspirations 

 which are now turned toward France are far 

 less strong and dangerous, and are really a 

 guarantee of peace, as they constitute a check 

 to the revengeful designs which France may 

 entertain toward Germany. The party in 

 power may be expected to continue to keep 

 out of entangling alliances and to pursue a pa- 

 cific policy, and at the same time to strengthen 

 the fortifications and increase the army and 

 navy, for the sake of improving the security 

 and prestige of the nation. The internal policy 

 of the country has been conducted with the 

 same shrewd and politic circumspection which 

 has governed the external relations. The cau- 

 tious leaders who have been kept at the head 

 of the Radical party since it came into power 

 in 1876 took a stand between the parties. The 

 reforms which the Left undertook to accom- 

 plish have been brought forward tardily and 

 in a greatly modified shape. The large major- 

 ity of the party has been a source of weakness. 

 The internal divisions and personal rivalries 

 have led to ceaseless Cabinet crises. But these 

 divisions have been between the abler and 

 more representative members of the party, and 

 the moderate men who, for reasons of policy, 

 and owing to the King's preferences and other 

 outside influences, have been intrusted with 

 the direction of affairs. For these reasons the 

 Progressist party has succeeded in accomplish- 

 ing very tardily and only partially the legisla- 

 tion which was promised when their rule be- 

 gan. 



The revision of the Italian Constitution, al- 

 though it is acknowledged on all hands to bo 

 a very defective instrument, is not proposed 

 by either of the great parties, because it con- 

 tains no provision for such revision or amend- 

 ment. The electoral law is a legislative stat- 

 ute, and the principal project in the programme 

 of the Progressists, but which has been long 

 delayed, was the extension of the franchise. 

 Universal suffrage has long been advocated by 

 * See " Annual Cyclopaedia " for IST'J. 



