Gaetano Salvemini - La politica estera italiana dal 1871 al 1915

The ltalo-Turkish War the Turkish troops to evacuate Libya. The truth was that, already on May 11th, he had asked the Italian ambassador to London whether the English government would oppose a permanent Italian occupation of Rhodes. Temporary ter-ritorial occupations have an innate tendency to become per– manent. Moieover, the Italo-Turkish war left in its wake the _two Balkan wars of 1912 and 1913. Because the World War followed· the two Balkan wars and because the two Balkan wars were preceded by the Italo-Turkish war, it is common opinion that the responsabllity for the World War must be laid in great part to those Italians who were responsible for the Italo-Turkish war. Howev'er, the Italo-Turkish war had been preceded by the _Bosnian crisis of 1908, and if we go back from precedent to precedent, there is no reason to stop unti! we have reached the fall of Adam. A precedent is not necessarilya cause. The World War broke out in 1914not because it had been preceded by the two Balkan wars, by the Italo-Turkish war or by the fall of Adam, but because during the Summer of 1914, Europe was ruled by men, a certain number of whom - i.e. the rulers of Germany and Austria - were convinced they could face a war with certainty of victory, and others - the rulers of Russia, France and England - thought that they were ìn a position successfullyto resist the threat of the Centrai Powers. War broke out because there was on both sides the readiness to fight. It has been repeatedly stated - and according. to the opinion of the present writer, rightly stated - that if the German rulers had foreseen the immediate intervention of England on the side of France and Russia in the Summer of 1914, they would not have given Berchtold a free hand against Serbia and the war would have been avoided, at least for the time being; a war averted at a given moment may mean war averted for many years. . It is no less reasonable to state that had the German a.nd Austrian rulers in the Summer of 1914 foreseen the intervention of Italy in the World War on the side of the Triple Entente, they would have avoided pulling the rope which led to war. The fact is, however, that as a result of the Italo-Turkish War of 1911-1912, they were under the illusion that they could count on Italy's neutrality, if not on her connivance, in the event of a generai war, whatever origin or aim it might have. The renewal of the Triple Alliance was announced on December 7th, 1912. A new protocol appended to the treaty proper guaranteed to Italy the possession of Libya. - Against whom? - Against England and France. The Italo-English and Italo-French agree– ments of 1902 had become emptied of all significance. Two illusions - the illusion of British neutrality and that of Italian servility - determined the policy of the Centrai Powers during the Summer of 1914. To have fostered among Germans and Austrians the illusion of Italian servility, consitutes that share of responsibility for the World Wa·r which falls to the lot of Giolitti and San Giuliano. 451 BibliotecaGino Bianco