Antonio Salandra (; 13 August 1853 – 9 December 1931) was a
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
Italian politician, journalist, and writer who served as the 21st
prime minister of Italy
The prime minister of Italy, officially the president of the Council of Ministers (), is the head of government of the Italy, Italian Republic. The office of president of the Council of Ministers is established by articles 92–96 of the Co ...
between 1914 and 1916. He ensured the entry of Italy in
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
on the side of the
Triple Entente
The Triple Entente (from French meaning "friendship, understanding, agreement") describes the informal understanding between the Russian Empire, the French Third Republic, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was built upon th ...
(the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, and the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
) to fulfil Italy's
irredentist claims.
Early life and political career
Born in
Troia (
Province of Foggia
The province of Foggia (, ; Neapolitan language, Foggiano: ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Regions of Italy, Italian region Apulia.
This province is also known as Daunia, after the Daunians, an Iapygians, Iapygian pre-Roman tribe livi ...
,
Apulia
Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...
), he graduated from the
University of Naples
The University of Naples Federico II (; , ) is a public university, public research university in Naples, Campania, Italy. Established in 1224 and named after its founder, Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II, it is the oldest public, s ...
in 1875 and then became instructor and later
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...
of
administrative law
Administrative law is a division of law governing the activities of government agency, executive branch agencies of government. Administrative law includes executive branch rulemaking (executive branch rules are generally referred to as "regul ...
at the
University of Rome.
He was Minister of Agriculture (1899–1900) in the conservative government of
Luigi Pelloux and subsequently Minister of the Treasury (1906) and
Italian Minister of Finance
This is a list of Italian ministers of finance, from 1861 to present.
List of ministers of finance Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
;Parties:
*1861–1912:
**
**
*1914–1922:
**
**
**
**
**
*1922–1943:
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*1943–1946:
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;Coalitions
* ...
(1909–1910) in the governments of
Sidney Sonnino.
[Salandra, Antonio]
Enciclopedia Treccani
Prime minister
In March 1914, the conservative Salandra was brought into the national cabinet upon the fall of the government of
Giovanni Giolitti
Giovanni Giolitti (; 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 sec ...
, as the choice of Giolitti himself, who still commanded the support of most Italian parliamentarians. Salandra's government was the most conservative one that Italy had seen for a long time.
[Clark, ''Modern Italy: 1871 to the present'']
p. 217
/ref> Salandra soon fell out with Giolitti over the question of Italian participation in World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
.
At the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, Salandra declared that Italy would not commit its troops, maintaining that the Triple Alliance had only a defensive stance and Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
had been the aggressor. In reality, both Salandra and his ministers of Foreign Affairs, Antonino Paternò Castello, who was succeeded by Sidney Sonnino in November 1914, began to probe which side would grant the best reward for Italy's entrance in the war and to fulfil Italy’s irredentist claims.[Baker, Ray Stannard (1923). ''Woodrow Wilson and World Settlement, Volume I'', Doubleday, Page and Company]
pp. 52–55
/ref>
Entering World War I
Salandra used the term "sacred egoism" (''sacro egoismo'') to define Italy's outlook on which side Italy would enter the war. Expecting the war would be short – over by the late summer of 1915 – there was some pressure on the decision to make.[Clark, ''Modern Italy: 1871 to the present'']
p. 219
/ref>
Negotiations had been started between Sonnino, the British Foreign Secretary Edward Grey and the French Foreign Minister Jules Cambon.
The secret pact, the Treaty of London or London Pact (), was signed between the Triple Entente
The Triple Entente (from French meaning "friendship, understanding, agreement") describes the informal understanding between the Russian Empire, the French Third Republic, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was built upon th ...
(the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, and the Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
) and the Kingdom of Italy. According to the pact, Italy was to leave the Triple Alliance and join the Triple Entente. Italy was to declare war against Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
and Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
within a month in return for territorial concessions at the end of the war.[
While Giolitti supported neutrality, Salandra and Sonnino, supported intervention on the side of the Entente, and secured Italy's entrance into the war despite the opposition of the majority in parliament. On 3 May 1915, Italy officially revoked the Triple Alliance. In the following days Giolitti and the neutralist majority of the Parliament opposed declaring war, while nationalist crowds demonstrated in public areas for entering the war. On 13 May 1915, Salandra offered his resignation, but Giolitti, fearful of nationalist disorder that might break into open rebellion, declined to succeed him as prime minister and Salandra's resignation was not accepted.][Clark, ''Modern Italy: 1871 to the present'']
p. 221-22
/ref>
On 23 May 1915, Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary. Salandra had expected that Italy's entrance on the allied side would bring the war to a quick solution. However the stalemated bloody war lasted far longer than anticipated. This weakened Salandra's ministry, especially when he refused to appoint neutralists to important positions. Five unsuccessful Italian offensives on the Isonzo and the Austro-Hungarian Trentino
Trentino (), officially the Autonomous Province of Trento (; ; ), is an Autonomous province#Italy, autonomous province of Italy in the Northern Italy, country's far north. Trentino and South Tyrol constitute the Regions of Italy, region of Tren ...
Offensive in May to July 1916 contributed to a military crisis that led to the collapse of Salandra's government on 10 June 1916, due to a combination of neutralist deputies and those who believed that Salandra had not been effective enough in the war effort. He played no further role in the war but was a member of the Italian delegation to the Paris Peace Conference in 1919.
After World War I, Salandra moved further to the right, and supported Mussolini's accession to power in 1922. Nine years later he died in Rome.
He was awarded the Serbian Order of Karađorđe's Star
Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to:
* A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica
* Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood
* ...
.
Works
He is the author of a considerable number of works on economics, finance, history, law, and politics ( New International Encyclopedia). These include:
* ''Tratto della giustizia amministrativo'' (1904)
* ''La politica nazionale e il partito liberale'' (1912)
* ''Lezioni di diritto amministrativo'' (two volumes, 1912)
* ''Politica e legislazione : saggi, raccolti da Giustino Fortunato'' (1915)
* ''Il discorso contro la malafede tedesca'' (1915)
* ''Italy and the Great War: From Neutrality to Intervention'' (London: Edward Arnold, 1932),
See also
* Italian entry into World War I
* Radiosomaggismo
References
Further reading
* Bosworth, Richard J.B. ''Italy the Least of the Great Powers: Italian Foreign Policy Before the First World War'' (2005).
* Clark, Martin.
Modern Italy: 1871 to the present
' (2008).
* Lowe, Cedric J. "Britain and Italian Intervention, 1914–1915." '' Historical Journal'' 12.3 (1969): 533-548.
* Mack Smith, Denis (1997).
Modern Italy: A Political History
', (Univ. of Michigan Press, 1997).
* Renzi, William A. ''In the Shadow of the Sword: Italy's Neutrality and Entrance into the Great War, 1914-1915'' (1987).
* Salandra, Antonio
''Italy and the Great War: From Neutrality to Intervention''
(London: Edward Arnold, 1932), a primary source.
* Sarti, Roland (2004).
Italy: a reference guide from the Renaissance to the present
', New York: Facts on File Inc.,
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salandra, Antonio
1853 births
1931 deaths
People from Troia, Apulia
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies people
Historical Right politicians
Italian Liberal Party politicians
Prime ministers of Italy
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Ministers of finance of Italy
Deputies of Legislature XVI of the Kingdom of Italy
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