1911 in Italy


Events from the year 1911 in Italy.

Kingdom of Italy

Events

Italy celebrates the 50th anniversary of Italian unification in March–April with a series of exhibitions in Rome, Florence and Turin.

March

The Italian press began a large-scale lobbying campaign in favour of an invasion of Libya at the end of March 1911. The country was depicted as rich in minerals, well-watered, and defended by only 4,000 Ottoman troops. Also, the population was described as hostile to the Ottoman Empire and friendly to the Italians: the future invasion was going to be little more than a "military walk".
  • March 11 – Start of the Cuocolo Trial in Viterbo. The trial was ostensibly to prosecute those charged with the murder of the Camorra boss Gennaro Cuocolo and his wife in 1906, but was transformed into a trial against the Camorra, intending to use it to strike the final blow to the criminal organisation. The verdict was delivered on 8 July 1912.
  • March 19 – Prime Minister Luigi Luzzatti resigns over a proposed electoral reform, following the resignation of the radical group from the majority.
  • March 23 – For the first time ever, the King consults with a socialist deputy, Leonida Bissolati, about the formation of a new government. Giovanni Giolitti is asked to form a new government. Bissolati declines a post in the new cabinet a few days later.
  • March 30 – Giolitti forms a new government.

April

June

September

  • September 11 – An eruption of Mount Etna on Sicily sends a lava stream 2,000 feet wide and four feet deep, and leaves 20,000 homeless, between Linguaglossa and Randazzo.
  • September 27 – Italy issues an ultimatum to Turkey demanding the surrender of Tripoli and Cyrenaica within twenty-four hours. A general strike against the war is organized by the socialist PSI and CGdL labour union.
  • September 29 – Italy declares war on the Ottoman Empire over claims in Libya. The Italo-Turkish War would go on until October 18, 1912. The Italian fleet appeared off Tripoli in the evening of September 28, but only began bombarding the port on October 3. The city was conquered by 1,500 sailors, much to the enthusiasm of the interventionist minority in Italy. Another proposal for a diplomatic settlement was rejected by the Italians, and the Turks determined therefore to defend the province.
As a result of this conflict, Italy captured Ottoman Tripolitania. These territories together formed what became known as Italian Libya. During the conflict, Italian forces also occupied the Dodecanese islands in the Aegean Sea.

October

November

Sports

Births

Deaths