672. The First World War: Italy’s Doomed Campaign (Part 2)

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: The episode explains why Italy entered World War I in 1915, driven by irredentist nationalism, elite opportunism, and intense propaganda, then details the disastrous Isonzo campaign against Austria-Hungary. It argues that D’Annunzio’s rhetoric and Salandra’s “sacred egoism” helped propel Italy into a ruinous war that caused mass casualties, disappointment at the peace, and fuel for fascism.

Main Topics: Italian unification and irredentism (Priority: 5/5): The hosts trace Italy’s late unification, the construction of national identity, and nationalist claims over disputed borderlands like Trieste, South Tyrol, Istria, Dalmatia, and parts of Slovenia/Croatia. Why Italy entered the war (Priority: 5/5): Italy stayed neutral in 1914 but then bargained with both sides, ultimately joining the Allies after secret negotiations promised territorial gains and prestige. D’Annunzio as war propagandist (Priority: 5/5): Gabriele D’Annunzio is presented as a brilliant but deranged nationalist poet whose speeches helped mobilize public enthusiasm and normalize violent, sacrificial rhetoric. Mussolini’s early role and fascist roots (Priority: 4/5): Benito Mussolini appears as a younger admirer and imitator of D’Annunzio’s style, illustrating how wartime nationalism fed into the ideological roots of fascism. The Isonzo campaign and military failure (Priority: 5/5): The episode gives a vivid account of the Italian army’s repeated frontal assaults along the Isonzo/Soča River, where terrain, poor logistics, and bad tactics caused catastrophic losses. Austro-Hungarian defense and Boroevich (Priority: 4/5): The Austrians, despite earlier setbacks elsewhere, are shown holding effectively under General Svetozar Boroevich, whose defensive strategy blunts Italian attacks. National trauma and postwar consequences (Priority: 5/5): Italy’s enormous losses and limited territorial gains created a sense of betrayal that fed resentment, instability, and the rise of fascism after the war.

Key Arguments: Italy’s decision to enter the war was not defensive but openly acquisitive, based on territorial expansion and national prestige. Nationalist claims of 'unredeemed Italy' gave politicians a powerful emotional tool to unify a still-fragile nation. Salandra’s 'sacred egoism' reflects cynical elite diplomacy: Italy bargained with both blocs to maximize gains. D’Annunzio’s speeches transformed war into a quasi-religious blood sacrifice and helped push public opinion toward intervention. Cadorna’s tactics were disastrously outdated; his obsession with frontal attack produced repeated slaughter on the Isonzo front. The mountainous Slovenian frontier, poor logistics, weak industrial capacity, and linguistic fragmentation made Italy ill-prepared for modern industrial war. Although Italy ultimately won territory at the peace conference, the scale of casualties and perceived shortfall of rewards created deep postwar resentment. The war’s outcome and rhetoric helped create the emotional and political conditions for Italian fascism. Austro-Hungarian success on the Isonzo depended heavily on defensive depth, barbed wire, machine guns, and competent command under Boroevich. The episode frames the Italian campaign as one of the First World War’s most cynical and self-destructive theaters.

Data Points: Italy population (1915): 35 million - Italy was described as the sixth most populous state in Europe. Italian electorate (1913): 8 million out of 35 million - Only a small share of Italians could vote, underscoring limited political participation. Battle of Adwa Italian deaths: 6,000 killed in one day - Italy’s colonial defeat in Ethiopia in 1896 was cited as a major humiliation. War entry date: 20 May 1915 - The Italian parliament voted for war on this date. State of war declared: 23 May 1915 - Italy’s ambassador in Vienna announced that war would exist from midnight. Italy’s wartime losses by end of 1915: 400,000 killed and wounded - The cumulative human cost of the opening months of the Italian campaign. First Battle of the Isonzo casualties: 15,000 Italian casualties - The Italians gained only about two yards in the opening assault. First Battle of the Isonzo duration: 2 weeks - The initial Isonzo offensive ended in a near-total stalemate. Second Battle of the Isonzo casualties: 42,000 Italian; 50,000 Austrian - A bloody but indecisive battle in summer 1915. Third Battle of the Isonzo casualties: 67,000 Italian; 40,000 Austrian - Again the Italians suffered heavier losses without decisive gains. Fourth Battle of the Isonzo casualties: 49,000 Italian; 30,000 Austrian - Winter conditions intensified Italian suffering and losses. Total Italian military deaths in the war: 689,000 - The episode gives this figure for Italians killed in battle by war’s end. Italian civilian deaths: about 600,000 - Additional civilian deaths were attributed to the war’s wider effects. Serious Italian wounded: about 1 million - The war left a very large number of permanently or seriously injured Italians. Palenta Brigade losses: 154 officers and 4,276 men - A single brigade’s losses by the end of 1915 illustrate the scale of attrition. Austrian reinforcements defended by Boroevich: 200,000 Italian attackers vs. fewer Austrian defenders - The Italians repeatedly outnumbered the Austrians but failed to break through. General Cadorna dismissals: 217 generals, 255 colonels, 355 battalion commanders - Cadorna responded to failure with purges rather than tactical reform.

Pivotal Quotes: "this may not be heroic, but it is wise and patriotic" — Marquis of San Giuliano: San Giuliano’s line on why Italy should switch sides if the Allies appeared to be winning. "sacroegoismo, sacred egoism" — Antonio Salandra: Salandra’s phrase for Italy’s cynical national interest in pursuing war for territorial gain. "Blessed are the 20-year-olds, pure of mind, well-tempered in body, with courageous mothers" — Gabriele D'Annunzio: Part of D’Annunzio’s famous war-mobilizing speech at Genoa, echoing the Sermon on the Mount.

Implications: The episode shows how propaganda, elite opportunism, and nationalist myth can drag a country into catastrophic war. Italy’s experience foreshadows how unresolved grievances and broken promises can radicalize politics and empower authoritarian movements.