Gentiloni Pact - The Agreement

The Agreement

The Gentiloni Pact was born out of a secret deal in the run-up to the 1913 general election between Catholic voters and Giolitti's liberal candidates who promised to support Catholic policies, especially funding of Catholic private schools, and opposition to a law permitting divorce. It was estimated that over 200 deputies were elected through the Pact.

The Socialist Party gained votes (from 19% to 23% of the voters) while the liberals were strengthened in the short run. In the past, Giolitti had co-opted many moderate Socialists (as well as members of other fringe parties). Giolitti himself was against political parties, which he felt were divisive and harmful to the "gentleman's game" of politics.

The Gentiloni Pact made the Socialists and anti-Clerical allies of Giolitti furious. They saw the Church as the bulwark to progress and felt betrayed into an alliance with Giolitti in the past. The Socialists would never trust Giolitti or the liberal system again.

This led the revolutionary faction of the Socialist Party to gain strength in Italy although the Vatican became increasingly influential in Italian politics as well.

Eventually, Giolitti was forced to resign by his anti-clerical allies in March 1914 and was replaced by Antonio Salandra, a conservative of the old guard.