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Pov of Enrico Caviglia
25-26-November-1921
"How low Italy has fallen. A kingdom that fought so hard to unite the Italians beneath a single flag, even as several powers strove to prevent it. Through firm political leadership and our own resolve, we had fulfilled the dream of unification. Yet now we have imperiled everything we achieved, all because our politicians believed they could fulfill our national ambitions by entering a war that has brought us nothing but dishonor for turning our arms against our former allies" I said, shaking my head as I gazed out at the streets, from which rose the angry cries of the demonstrating crowds.
"Is that truly your view, General? The war did not go as we had hoped, but the kingdom is united once more. With the restoration of the provinces now returning to the Crown, we shall recover Italy's industrial heartland and undertake the modernization we so desperately need" said one of the soldiers accompanying me at the barracks.
"Is that what you believe? In the eyes of other nations, we stand exposed as traitors who turned against their allies out of greed for their lands. And when the venture went awry, we sought to save our own skins by abandoning our new allies to conclude a shameful peace with the Germans. We had to surrender the gold and silver reserves of our banks so that Germany could then use them to pay the French and the British. As was only to be expected, the French will never grant us the territories they promised after we proved false to our word" I said as I paced the room, looking at the soldiers of my escort.
"We are the great losers of this war, if such a disaster deserves any other name. We faced one of the most ill-prepared armies in the struggle and could not even bring it to heel. Our preparations and the competence of our commanders fell far short of the fancies of those politicians who already imagined us marching on Vienna or, at the very least, threatening the heart of the Habsburg dominions and compelling them to yield. None of it came to pass. Germany needed only to turn its attention to our front for everything we had held at such a cost in blood to collapse. That army of which they had boasted so much was shattered within a matter of months" I said as I continued pacing and looking through the windows, noticing that the demonstrations were drawing nearer to this part of the city.
"But surely, with Venetia and Lombardy restored to us, we can begin to bring pressure upon the Germans to return our lands, taking advantage of the unrest in their country" said another of the young soldiers with me.
"Open your eyes, lad… Look about you. Italy has no reserves of gold and silver with which to sustain the lira. Our credit abroad is ruined. We have gained no new colonies, nor any of the territories the French promised us. The harvests have been poor, provisions grow dearer by the day, and our currency is losing its value. The politicians scarcely know what to do. They trust in Providence to remedy their blunders while scurrying from one place to another, trying to put out the fires they themselves have kindled. And you believe our army is fit to take the field against the Germans and compel them to surrender the Italian lands that once belonged to the Habsburgs? They would laugh at our demands. Before, they needed only a portion of their forces to defeat us. Imagine what would happen if they could employ them all… And no one would come to our aid if we provoked another war with Germany" I said, shaking my head at the young soldier's words. He seemed to have put his faith in every proclamation the politicians issued.
"We still have a country, General. We can still fight for her, and we shall have to go on doing so" said another of my guards.
"Yes, I do not say that we have exhausted every possibility, but I would not place my hopes in the politicians who have brought us to this pass. One of the conditions agreed upon for the return of Lombardy and Venetia was that their taxpayers should not bear the burden of rebuilding the south. On their own, they were prospering: their industries remained at work, supplying the German market and the former Habsburg dominions, and bringing in considerable revenues. Yet in Rome they are already preparing fresh levies upon the north and increases in existing taxes to meet the obligations of the state. Salaries, interest on the debt, arrears, pensions… The Treasury is overwhelmed. I very much fear that their first measure will be to break that promise, and then we shall be sent to restore order in Lombardy and Venetia" I said, scratching my face as I watched a group of demonstrators pass the barracks window.
"What is this crowd protesting about today?" asked one of the guards, leaning toward the window to observe the multitude that had once again taken to the streets to demand action from the government.
"I do not know. The price of bread, the lack of work, the taxes… They certainly have no shortage of grievances, and there seems little prospect of these disturbances ending soon" another soldier replied as he, too, stepped closer to look.
I remained silent, watching them, and resumed my seat. I could feel nothing but helplessness in the face of it all. Our circumstances made any immediate remedy almost impossible. We had scarcely anyone to whom we could turn for credit, for we lacked the means to furnish adequate security. The efforts of the commission sent to the United States to negotiate a loan had failed. There, they doubted our willingness to honor our agreements, and, considering the enormous debt we already bore, the bankers were unwilling to hazard their capital. We could only fall back upon our own resources.
To all this was added a drought that had exhausted our water reserves, emptied the reservoirs, and ruined the harvests in several districts. Our position was deplorable. One possible course would have been to seek Germany's assistance and endeavor to restore the old alliance, though our breach with her presented a considerable obstacle. Yet the government continued to insist that any restoration of normal diplomatic relations must be preceded by the return of all Italian territories under German rule. It was plain that Berlin would accept no such condition.
Our obstinate pursuit of territorial claims condemned us to isolation. The French would have nothing to do with us, nor would the Germans, and we urgently needed buyers for our goods and suppliers willing to furnish us with provisions. Yet no state seemed prepared to commit its resources on our behalf. We did not even possess a stable government, merely a coterie of politicians forever contending for power and casting the blame for defeat upon one another, while each sought to retain the confidence of the country. Meanwhile, ordinary people found it ever harder to buy bread or secure a day's wages.
And the protests did not cease. That was the worst of it, for lately they had grown alarmingly violent, while the most extreme political factions gained adherents. The Communists promised to remedy all our ills with their doctrines, as though their revolution in Russia had not cost millions of lives. Certain nationalist groups, for their part, proposed to relieve our hardships by persecuting Jews and foreigners, seizing their property and driving them from their employment so that their posts could be given to Italians.
It was only a matter of time before those disturbances gave rise to a revolution like the Russian one, yet no one seemed to regard the danger with the seriousness it deserved. The politicians were more interested in increasing the power of their parties than in remedying our misfortunes. Each wished to claim for himself the honor of saving the country.
"General, we have orders from the capital to proceed to Milan immediately. Apparently, the increase in taxation is to be put to a vote tonight, and they want our forces quartered in the north in case the local authorities encourage any violent opposition" said one of the officers, handing me a telegram.
"Understood" I replied, extending my hand to take it. I read it at once and began considering which units I could set in motion.
"Your orders, General?" asked the officer who had brought the telegram.
"We shall comply. We shall muster every available unit not engaged in maintaining order in the streets and proceed to Milan and its environs. We must be prepared for a possible rising, since our politicians evidently attach little value to the word they pledged to the president of the federation of those two states" I said with a grimace.
"We have been informed that the local forces have already been disarmed and that their commands are to be reorganized. They should be in no position to offer serious resistance to our troops. Moreover, the arsenals in the district will be placed under our guard, so any organized resistance should be slight, General" the officer replied.
"And the police? Have they retained their revolvers? They could give us considerable trouble if they join an armed resistance when the new levies upon the northern provinces are announced" I asked as I gathered my effects.
"They have retained their arms. The authorities have been unwilling to dispense with their services, as they are still needed to maintain public order. I must add that the government considers it essential to suppress any disturbances with the utmost dispatch. The revenue is needed to finance public works, relieve unemployment, and purchase provisions abroad. We are required to act swiftly and to prevent our intervention from provoking further unrest" said the officer, coming to attention and raising his hand to his cap.
"It shall be done" I replied, returning his salute.
Without another word, I began issuing orders to the units under my command to prepare for their departure. It fell to us to enforce the measures by which the government would break its promise that the northern states would not have to bear the cost of national reconstruction. Apparently, the Treasury could find no other recourse than to draw upon their taxpayers.
Leaving behind the protests that continued outside our barracks and were once again spreading through the city, we began making our way to the station to depart for Milan in the dead of night.
We quickly loaded the soldiers, their arms, and their baggage onto the trains provided for our transport. We were to secure the principal points and uphold the authority of the government against whatever response these measures might provoke among the population.
Once in the carriage, I sat gazing through the window at the darkened countryside as we traveled north.
Within a few hours, we reached Milan. Other units had departed for Venice to take up positions throughout the region and maintain order.
For the remainder of the night, I posted detachments to guard the public buildings and prepared for any eventuality. When morning came, we soon heard the newspaper vendors crying the news of the fresh levies the government had imposed upon the inhabitants of the north.
Unlike those in much of Italy, these citizens enjoyed more comfortable circumstances. Nevertheless, the first knots of discontented people soon began to gather, protesting against the new burdens.
The gatherings fell far short of the numbers we had anticipated, though that might have been due to the early hour.
We maintained our watch, and I remained alert for any further orders while directing the measures necessary to preserve public order.
I ordered the dispersal of several gatherings that were beginning to assume a seditious character in the industrial districts. For the moment, the situation appeared to be in hand, and all indications suggested that we had averted more serious disorders.
"General… News has arrived from Rome. Several armed formations have begun a march upon the capital. The reports are confused. Some telegrams order us to return at once to subdue them; others instruct us to continue our mission and assure us that the troops in the region will restore order" said one of the officers, approaching with a telegram.
"What was that?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
I took the telegram, examined it, and compared it with the earlier messages. Before me lay a succession of contradictory orders.
"We remain here. With the new levies only just announced, withdrawing our troops now might leave the way open for a rising and another declaration of independence. I shall not allow the kingdom to be dismembered again. The garrison of Rome and the units quartered nearby will have to deal with those formations" I said, shaking my head.
"At your orders, General" the officer replied before withdrawing to convey my decision.
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If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know.
Leave a comment; support is always appreciated.
I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see.
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