GIOLITTI, GIOVANNI (1842-1928), Italian statesman, was born at Mondovi, Province of Cuneo, on Oct. 27, 1842, and educated at the Lycee and at Turin University, where he gradu ated in law in 1861. After working in an advocate's office for some years, he was appointed king's procurator in Turin, and then held appointments in the ministry of justice and the ministry of finance. In 1882 he was appointed councillor of State and elected deputy for Cuneo. As deputy he took part in the attack on Mag liani, minister of finance, which led to the fall of the Depretis cabinet. On March 9, 1889 Giolitti was appointed finance minister in the Crispi cabinet, but resigned at the end of 189o. On the fall of the Rudini cabinet in May 1892, Giolitti succeeded to the premiership, but his ministry fell after 18 months in disastrous circumstances. The building crisis and the commercial rupture with France had impaired the situation of the state banks, and one, the Banca Romana, had been further undermined by mal administration. A bank law, passed by Giolitti failed to effect an improvement. The senate refused to confirm Giolitti's confer ment of senatorial rank on Tanlongo, director general of the Banca Romana, and an interpellation in parliament on the posi tion of the bank led to Tanlongo's arrest and prosecution. A parliamentary commission of enquiry, appointed to investigate the condition of the state banks acquitted Giolitti of personal dishonesty. He was, however, found guilty of the suppression of documents relating to the case, and he was obliged to resign. His fall left the finances of the state disorganized, the pensions fund depleted, diplomatic relations with France strained in consequence of the massacre of Italian workmen at Aigues-Mortes, and Sicily and the Lunigiana in a state of revolt. After his resignation he was impeached for abuse of power as minister, but the supreme court quashed the impeachment by denying the competence of the ordinary tribunals to judge ministerial acts. Giolitti left the country for a short time and kept in the background for several years. He gradually regained much of his former influence, how ever, and used the Socialist agitation for his own ends, promising the agitators a free hand under his premiership. He again entered the chamber, and became minister for the interior in the Zanar delli cabinet, succeeding Zanardelli, who resigned on account of ill-health, in November, 1903. During his tenure of office, he lost the support of the Socialists by the strong measures he was forced to take to quell serious disorders in various parts of the country. In March, 1905, feeling himself no longer secure, he resigned, indicating Fortis as his successor. When Sonnino became premier in Feb. 1906, Giolitti did not openly oppose him, but his followers did, and Sonnino was defeated in May, Giolitti becoming prime minister once more. For three years he remained in power, and by clever management of the elections, was returned by a strong majority in 1909. Opposition against him in parliament grew rapidly, however, led by Sonnino, and his cabinet fell in Dec. 1909, the chamber rejecting a bill of fiscal reforms which included a graduated income-tax. He played a leading part in Opposition during the succeeding ministries of Sonnino and Luzzatti, and became premier for the fourth time in March 191 1. During this period in office, he introduced a new franchise law (Oct. 26 Nov. 2, 1913) which practically amounted to universal suffrage, raising the electorate from 3,000,000 to 8,000,000. The chief event of Giolitti's fourth cabinet was the Libyan war; he em barked on this enterprise for financial and other reasons, though he himself had no militarist leanings. He was accused of un constitutional conduct in declaring war without the consent of parliament, and for acting during the war as if it were merely an affair of internal politics. When peace was concluded he was again returned (1913) with a majority by the extended electorate, which, however, doubled the size of the Socialist party, and changed the opposition from the extreme Right to the Left. Giolitti, discouraged by dissension among his supporters, and feel ing opposition to his rule increasing not only in parliament, but in the country as a whole, seized the opportunity of a hostile vote by the Radical group to resign on March io, 1914. He was succeeded by Salandra.
When the World War broke out his attitude was in favour of absolute neutrality, and on the eve of Italian intervention he attempted to upset the Salandra cabinet by his personal influence over the parliamentary majority. He was frustrated by formid able popular demonstrations in favour of participation on the side of the Entente; the cry of "A morte Giolitti" was heard, and he prudently retired to Cavour until November i i, 1917. Giolitti believed that Italian resources were unequal to war, and that her unpreparedness would have serious consequences. But in the dark hour after Caporetto he appeared again in the chamber, and made an eloquent appeal to Italians to stand firm and united in face of disaster. After the War the disappointment over the peace settle ment, the heavy burden of suffering and loss caused by the War, and the extreme socialistic policy of the Nitti cabinet brought about the return of Giolitti. On October 12, 1919 he made the well-known election speech, the "Discorso di Dronero" outlining his future policy, and explaining his previous attitude, and on June 15, 192o the fifth Giolitti cabinet was formed. He suc ceeded in forming a cabinet which comprised a number of non Giolittians of all parties, but only a few of his own "old guard," so that he won the support of a considerable part of the chamber, although the Socialists and the Popolari (Catholics) rendered his hold somewhat precarious. His policy of inactivity during the occupation of the factories by the workmen organized by Socialist leaders in Sept. 192o provoked the indignation not only of the manufacturers but of the middle classes. He appears greatly to have over-estimated the strength of the Socialists, and there fore gave them a free hand with the object of avoiding blood shed, and also perhaps to prove to the workmen that they could not run industry without the capitalists and the technical experts.
When he realized the strength of the national reaction, he allowed the Fascists free rein to re-establish order and exercise many of the functions pertaining to the Government, while he assumed an attitude of Olympic calm and posed as being au-dessus de la mêlée, so as to avoid compromising himself with any party.
In foreign affairs Giolitti succeeded in achieving a solution of the Adriatic problem, and with Count Sforza carried through the Treaty of Rapallo (q.v.). He dissolved the chamber on April 7, 1921, and was confirmed in power by the elections on May 15. But he resigned with his cabinet at the end of June, being suc ceeded as premier by Signor Bonomi. He played no part in the subsequent events, until at the time of the march on Rome he advised the premier, Signor Facta, to resign. On the advent of the Fascist Government he expressed approval of it, and was elected to the chamber in 1924. He presented a list of his own in Pied mont which was not in opposition to, but independent of the Government, but after the Matteotti affair he went over to the opposition. His influence was still strong in Piedmont, but he was over 8o, and had little power against the Fascist regime. In 1922 he published Memorie della Mia Vita (2 vols.) . He died on July 17, 1928.