Between High Politics and Public Order. The Italian Army and its Men in the Turn-of-The-Century Crisis, 1896 –1901

For the young Kingdom of Italy, the period between the fall of Francesco Crispi (10 March 1896) and the inauguration of the Zanardelli cabinet (15 February 1901) was one of profound political instability and violent social tensions due partly to the persistence of the country’s structural problems, partly to the onset of the industrialisation process, highlighting the limits of its economic system. The 1898 uprisings and the killing of King Umberto I in 1900 were the most critical turning points in a phase of widespread violence. Against this backdrop, the armed forces played a central role, both as an organisation and as individuals. As a bulwark of law and order, the Army was actively engaged in quelling the uprisings. The conservatism of the officer corps – often bordering open reactionism – made it easy to play a repressive function, of which the action of General Fiorenzo Bava Beccaris in Milan was just one example. However, the military also played other roles. Most importantly, due to its ties with the Crown, the Army provided key figures to manage the “turn-of-the-century crisis” at the political level. These figures typically fought a rearguard battle against the ongoing social transformations. However, despite this character, the long phase of the King’s governments was an essential step toward the new early Twentieth-century political balance and the decline of the men and forces who had driven the Risorgimento process.