Giovanni Giolitti | |
---|---|
![]() Giovanni Giolitti in 1920 | |
Prime Minister of Italy | |
In office 15 June 1920 – 4 July 1921 | |
Monarch | Victor Emmanuel III |
Preceded by | Francesco Saverio Nitti |
Succeeded by | Ivanoe Bonomi |
In office 30 March 1911 – 21 March 1914 | |
Monarch | Victor Emmanuel III |
Preceded by | Luigi Luzzatti |
Succeeded by | Antonio Salandra |
In office 29 May 1906 – 11 December 1909 | |
Monarch | Victor Emmanuel III |
Preceded by | Sidney Sonnino |
Succeeded by | Sidney Sonnino |
In office 3 November 1903 – 12 March 1905 | |
Monarch | Victor Emmanuel III |
Preceded by | Giuseppe Zanardelli |
Succeeded by | Tommaso Tittoni |
In office 15 May 1892 – 15 December 1893 | |
Monarch | Umberto I |
Preceded by | Marchese di Rudinì |
Succeeded by | Francesco Crispi |
Minister of the Interior | |
In office 15 June 1920 – 4 July 1921 | |
Prime Minister | Himself |
Preceded by | Francesco Saverio Nitti |
Succeeded by | Ivanoe Bonomi |
In office 30 March 1911 – 21 March 1914 | |
Prime Minister | Himself |
Preceded by | Luigi Luzzatti |
Succeeded by | Antonio Salandra |
In office 3 November 1903 – 12 March 1905 | |
Prime Minister | Himself |
Preceded by | Giuseppe Zanardelli |
Succeeded by | Tommaso Tittoni |
In office 15 February 1901 – 20 June 1903 | |
Prime Minister | Giuseppe Zanardelli |
Preceded by | Giuseppe Saracco |
Succeeded by | Giuseppe Zanardelli |
In office 15 May 1892 – 15 December 1893 | |
Prime Minister | Himself |
Preceded by | Giovanni Nicotera |
Succeeded by | Francesco Crispi |
Minister of the Navy | |
In office 3 September 1903 – 9 November 1903 | |
Prime Minister | Himself |
Preceded by | Enrico Morin |
Succeeded by | Carlo Mirabello |
Minister of Finance | |
In office 14 September 1890 – 10 December 1890 | |
Prime Minister | Francesco Crispi |
Preceded by | Federico Seismit-Doda |
Succeeded by | Bernardino Grimaldi |
Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
In office 29 May 1881 – 17 July 1928 | |
Constituency | Piedmont |
Personal details | |
Born | Mondovì, Kingdom of Sardinia | 27 October 1842
Died | 17 July 1928 Cavour, Piedmont, Kingdom of Italy | (aged 85)
Political party | Historical Left (1882–1913) Liberal Union (1913–1922) Italian Liberal Party (1922–1926) |
Spouse(s) |
Rosa Sobrero (m. 1869–1921) |
Children | 7; including Enrichetta |
Alma mater | University of Turin |
Profession | |
Signature | ![]() |
Giovanni Giolitti (Italian pronunciation: [dʒoˈvanni dʒoˈlitti]; 27 October 1842 – 17 July 1928) was an Italian statesman. He was the prime minister of Italy five times between 1892 and 1921. He is the longest-serving democratically elected prime minister in Italian history, and the second-longest serving overall after Benito Mussolini. A prominent leader of the Historical Left and the Liberal Union, he is widely considered one of the most powerful and important politicians in Italian history; due to his dominant position in Italian politics, Giolitti was accused by critics of being an authoritarian leader and a parliamentary dictator.[1]
Giolitti was a master in the political art of trasformismo, the method of making a flexible, centrist coalition of government which isolated the extremes of the Left and the Right in Italian politics after the unification. Under his influence, the Liberals did not develop as a structured party and were a series of informal personal groupings with no formal links to political constituencies.[2] The period between the start of the 20th century and the start of World War I, when he was prime minister and Minister of the Interior from 1901 to 1914, with only brief interruptions, is often referred to as the "Giolittian Era".[3][4]
A centrist liberal,[3] with strong ethical concerns,[5] Giolitti's periods in office were notable for the passage of a wide range of progressive social reforms which improved[citation needed] the living standards of ordinary Italians, together with the enactment of several policies of government intervention.[4][6][7] Besides putting in place several tariffs, subsidies, and government projects, Giolitti also nationalized the private telephone and railroad operators. Liberal proponents of free trade criticized the "Giolittian System", although Giolitti himself saw the development of the national economy as essential in the production of wealth.[8]
The primary focus of Giolittian politics was to rule from the centre with slight and well-controlled fluctuations between conservatism and progressivism, trying to preserve the institutions and the existing social order.[9] Right-wing critics like Luigi Albertini considered him a socialist due to the courting of socialist and leftist votes in parliament in exchange for political favours, while left-wing critics like Gaetano Salvemini accused him of being a corrupt politician and of winning elections with the support of criminals.[6][9][10] Nonetheless, his highly complex legacy continues to stimulate intense debate among writers and historians.[11]
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