The Impact of World War I on Italy

The Impact of World War I on Italy

When World War I began in August 1914, the Italian government brushed

aside the Triple Alliance and declared its neutrality. In 1915, Italy

had signed the secret Treaty of London. In this treaty Britain had

offered Italy large sections of territory in the Adriatic Sea region -

Tyrol, Dalmatia, and Istria. Such an offer was too tempting for Italy

to refuse. Subsequently, after having signed the secret Treaty of

London with the allied powers (Britain and France), Italy declared war

on Austria and Turkey, and then declared war on Germany about a year

later. By the spring of 1915 General Luigi Cadorna had 25 infantry and

4 cavalry divisions made up of Italian troops. Grouped into four

armies, Cadorna only had 120 heavy or medium artillery pieces and some

700 machine guns. Despite the shortage of artillery Cadorna, along

with the Italian troops, launched mass attacks on Austria-Hungary in

May 1915. The defending army quickly built trenches and the Italians

suffered heavy casualties. In the first two weeks of the Isonzo

attack, the Italian Army lost 60,000 men. By the time the attacks were

called off that winter, Italian casualties had reached 300,000.

Between 1915 and 1917, Italian troops only got 10 miles inside

Austrian territory. In October 1917 came the disaster of Caporetto

that resulted in a disastrous defeat of the armed forces of Italy by

the armies of the Central powers. Within 24 hours of the battle, units

of the Italian army, under the command of General Luigi Cardorna,

collapsed along the entire Isonzo river front. It was only after a

dramatic defeat at the battle of Vittorio-Veneto, that Italy was able

to annouce victory. However, it was believed Italy had won the war but

lost the peace.

The war had provided an immense psychological shock for Italy.

Unprepared for war with Austria, and with an army weakned by the

Libyan adventure in the 1880's Italy faced a rising tide of defeatism

and social division. The result of the war effort cleary left the