Even in 1914, Liberal Italy was still a flawed state. There was much political unrest, with the government in a weakened state. In the South there were peasant uprisings, and in the North there were numerous strikes by the workers. These culminated into times such as 'Red Week' in 1914, when a mass series of strikes almost crippled the already feeble economy. All of these strikes had the effect of scaring the middle classes. Sometimes the government negotiate with the workers, and at other times send in troops to shoot strikers, with the objective of instantly quelling civil disobedience.…
