IRREDENTISTS, an important modern Italian patriotic and political movement hav ing for its avowed aims the "freeing" of alleged Italians and lands near Italy, and the incor poration of both within the Dalian political dominion. The English word "Irredentists* is derived from an Italian namr irre denta," or udcemed Italy" which natives apply to that territory and its inhabitants.
Irredentism, the principles, policies and the practice of Irredentists, gained an ascendency in Italian politics for the first time during the five or six years following 1878. Among its ardent disciples were members of the older Italian Radical and Republican parties, ad herents whose main activities in support of Irredentism are confined, chronologically, within the last quarter of the 19th century. Having attained this temporary recognition, the forces behind Irredentism subsided, and after 1881 a long period of unruffled repose followed, save that manifest in specious oratory or political fanfaronade. Politicians from time to time circulated a resurrected form of Irredent ism; but their procedure in these cases was based upon an affected fear of Austrian, French, or other aggression. The revival of present day Irredentism took place in 1908, dur ing which year the ambitious ideal, "L'Idea Nazionale," first saw light. "L'Idea Nazionale" is the end toward which the new Italian patriotic party of the Nationalists tend: and these Nationalists have restored the Irredentism of their fathers, and it re-emerges from the past in union with elements which its former upholders never knew, again to court the ad herence of Italians. Irredentism is the core of "L'Idea Nazionale." Dante, pioneer of the Italian classical Renaissance, early treated his fellow country men to a magnificent vision of a united Italy. He helped to prepare their minds for the recep tion of Irredentism and L'Idea. After the Russo-Turkish War a conference of the powers was held at Berlin, and the award they made to Austria in 1877 disappointed Italy keenly. The
vision of Dante was fresh in Italian memory: and in 1878 Irredentism appeared. Its ad herents were to unite— they said — all por tions of Italy, even all those parts which of old had passed beneath the sway of foreign power. In language they asserted they had found a touchstone which would reveal what belonged to Italy, what to a foreign power. Resting their claims upon this doubtful criterion, they suggested that France, Austria, Switzerland and England should surrender such territory to Italy. In this way they in cluded all within the confines of Giirz, South Tyrol or Trentino, Istria, Trieste, Tessino, Nice, Corsica and Malta. Their test appears, however, to have been applied in an arbitrary manner and even in cases where it was not ap plicable. For the Italian language is not spoken universally in South Tyrol, Gorz and Istria; while Malta has its own dialect; and Dalmatia is non-Italian, although it once acknowledged the dominion of the old Venetian Republic.
Austria did not yield to the Irredentists, and retained Trieste and the Southern Tyrol. In 1866 the great Italian general Giuseppe Gari baldi had temporarily conquered Trentino: and on this fact united with their linguistic principle they of Irredentist conviction found sufficient inducement to direct most of their operations against Austria. Over these terri tories both Italians and Austrians adopt the same opinion. Both with equal plausibility urge that the Trentino is a weak point in the armor of the owner, and "enclave," and a terri tory which if wholly abandoned by one power to its neighbor, must expose the power making such surrender to the possibility of a danger ous attack upon its integrity.
When in 1881 France, to the chagrin of Italy, occupied Tunis, Italian operations against Austria subsided. Thereupon the Italian gov ernment entered into those relations with Austria and Germany which originated the Triple Alliance, and Irredentism entered upon a period of repose which lasted a generation.