XVI. DOWN WITH THIS SORT OF THING 1889-1894
1889 was the year when Italy finally fulfilled its colonial ambitions. Treaties with Ras Menelik of Abyssinia, the local chiefs of Majerteyn, and the Sultanate of Zanzibar saw Italy take indirect control of Abyssinia and Somalia in addition to the directly-ruled Eritrea and Mogadishu. As for America, the Italians sought to conclude the return to control of the followers of Gabriel Garcia Moreno after over a decade. War was quietly declared on the Ecuadorean liberal government, and 60,000 troops attacked the country from Italy’s coastal foothold gained in the 1870s. After the fall of Quito in the summer of 1889, the liberals made the offer of further concessions to try and retain some control of their nation, but Cairoli refused and continued.
Only on Christmas Day of 1889, as the Italians began to push through the Amazon (albeit reduced from 6 to 2 divisions), did Ecuador finally submit to Papal domination. The Italian base in the region was ceded to the new government, which had the Pope as head of the Ecuadorean state, and a Prime Minister in the shape of Gabriel Garcia del Alcazar, son of the great leader.
The flag of Ecuador would be the old tricolour emblazoned with the Papal arms:
Both nations shared all their research with each other, leading to massive developments in the Italian economy and a budget surplus of about £200 per day. This was generally required for what was extreme population growth across Italy- while 2,000 Italians a month left for other nations such as the USA, 50,000 more joined the populace that now exceeded 42 million.
Meanwhile, the Pope published a document known as ‘Rerum Novarum’, which stipulated that the Catholic Church now supported the working classes in their fight against poverty. Much to His Holiness’ chagrin, Cairoli completely ignored all this and continued his liberal policies. However, the Pope’s policies were greeted with open arms by the PPI, who began to gain in the polls and lobby with the Pope and Upper House for the removal of Cairoli from power.
And, after a long campaign through 1892, January 1893 saw a change in Italian politics. Cairoli lost his majority in the Parliament, as the socialist PSR stormed forward in the polls, taking 25% of the vote. The PPI lost a portion of its voter base despite the rise of “Christian Democracy”, but gained a few seats to give themselves and the socialists a small combined majority of 8. The Pope personally intervened at that point to install Odescalchi as Consul with the backing of the PSR- he had completed his task of returning as a force in politics and of bringing Rerum Novarum into official Italian government policy. It was notable how the popularity of the Pope in comparison to the SLC saw a reduction in chance of rebellion in many areas of Italy.
The first moves were, obviously, social reform. This was met by a reduction in tariffs in order to keep the capitalists- whose income had been hit by a crash in 1892- happy, as the government’s surplus dropped from £200 to £40. To follow this came the commission of 9 new army divisions, primarily to replace those lost in Ecuador and secondly to keep Italy up in the European arms race that was coming to define the close of the 19th century.
==GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS REPORT 1889==
-Cheap Iron discovered, Cheap Steel research begun;
-Relations improved with: Abyssinia, Majerteyn, Zanzibar, Buganda, Ecuador;
-Literacy up to 72.4%;
-Italy remains 6th most powerful nation (GP).
==GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS REPORT 1890==
-Cheap Steel discovered, Iron Railroad research begun;
-Relations improved with: Ecuador, Abyssinia, United Kingdom, Germany;
-Diplomatic deal concluded with: Ecuador;
-Literacy up to 73.0%;
-Italy up to 5th most powerful nation (GP).
==GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS REPORT 1891==
-Iron Railroad being researched;
-Relations improved with: Switzerland, Spain;
-Literacy up to 73.6%;
-Italy down to 6th most powerful nation (GP).
==GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS REPORT 1892==
-Iron Railroad being researched;
-Relations improved with: France, Ottoman Empire, Germany;
-Literacy up to 74.2%;
-Italy remains 6th most powerful nation (GP).
==GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS REPORT 1893==
-Iron Railroad discovered, Associationism research begun;
-Relations improved with: Ecuador, Germany, Russia;
-Literacy up to 74.8%;
-Italy remains 6th most powerful nation (GP).
