DEVELOPMENT ITALY

Evening Star, Issue 16987, 8 March 1919, Page 5

DEVELOPMENT ITALY

MANY CHANGES SINCE 1870. THE TRIPLE- ALLIANCE. In a lecture on 'The Development of Italy Since 1870,' Colonel Sir i'ilippo de Filippe tracefl the malign influence of Germany upon his country, urid not least that of Bismarck. With Italy's on try into tho Triple Alliance came tho development of her military power —a very expensive affair for a poor country —and C'rispi'a policy, because of its antagonism io France, had been disastrous, especially ill a fis-cal direction. Further, it led to ! the organisation of the Italian working classes in opposition lo tho Government. With the great defeat at Adowah in the Abyssinian War came the fall of Crispi, and it was Rudini who had changed Italy's outlook by making friends with Prance and Russia. Under Victor Emmanuel's liberal and democratic rule new .strength and independence had been gained. Italy's finances were greatly improved. Lacking coal ami iron, she had developed her water power. Yearly she had increased her imports of raw material and her exports of manufactured goods, while her agrarian banks of credit had done much for her agriculture. For 30 years Italy had followed England's aim at an equilibrium in Europe until the Kaiser's visit to Rome and his intermeddling 1 ■illusions to the Holy Roman Empire's hold on Sicily and Southern Italy. Afterwards came the flooding of the country with German goods, and almost simultaneously the open threats cf Austria against ItaTy. Tho Triple Alliance was also rapidly becoming more and more an aggressive instead of a defensive organisation. Italy's eyes were again opened as to Germany's true relationship in tho Tripolitan War; her nationality was consolidated; and it must always be remembered that in 1914 Italy declared her neutrality 48 hours before England declared war on Germany, and thus enabled France to release 300,000 men from the Italian frontier to assist the onslaught of the enemy.