Pietro Bertolini
Encyclopedia
Pietro Bertolini was an Italian
statesman.
cabinet. He was afterwards Under-Secretary at the Ministry of the Interior in the Pelloux
cabinet (1898–1900), in which he was, so to speak, the representative of Baron Sonnino
's party. On the fall of Gen. Pelloux he hoped to return to office in a future Sonnino ministry; but as the latter seemed ever less likely to become a reality, Bertolini lost patience and joined Sig. Giolitti
.
His conduct in abandoning his old chief was much criticised at the time, but his new patron chose him as Minister of Public Works in the cabinet of 1907. He proved a capable administrator, but his qualities were taxed to the utmost by the terrible earthquake at Messina and Reggio in 1908
. When Giolitti returned to power in 1911 he did not at first offer an appointment to Bertolini, but in the autumn of 1912 he entrusted him with the newly constituted Ministry of the Colonies. He failed, however, to show any exceptional qualifications for that position, and did little more than introduce some of the less desirable features of the Italian bureaucratic system into the new Africa
n possessions; the continued resistance of the Arabs in Libya
was generally regarded as largely due to Bertolini's administrative errors.
He was rapporteur for the extended suffrage
bill, which first came into force with the general elections of 1913; the measure had been introduced to please the demagogic spirit which Giolitti wished to conciliate, but Bertolini must be given credit for the ingeniousness of the machinery which he devised for enabling illiterates to vote and for avoiding electoral corruption as far as possible. On the outbreak of World War I
, Bertolini, as a faithful Giolittian, was an uncompromising neutralist, and came in for much obloquy in consequence. Throughout the war he remained in retirement, and failed to be reflected in 1919. Sig. Nitti appointed him senator and president of the Italian delegation on the Reparations Commission.
He was the author of several valuable works on political and eonomic questions, notably a volume on local government in England
.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
statesman.
Biography
He began his career as a barrister and student of economic and administrative questions, and entered parliament in 1891 as member for Montebelluna. Two years later, he became Under-Secretary for Finance in the CrispiFrancesco Crispi
Francesco Crispi was a 19th-century Italian politician of Arbëreshë ancestry. He was instrumental in the unification of Italy and was its 17th and 20th Prime Minister from 1887 until 1891 and again from 1893 until 1896.-Sicily:Crispi’s paternal family came originally from the small agricultural...
cabinet. He was afterwards Under-Secretary at the Ministry of the Interior in the Pelloux
Luigi Pelloux
Luigi Gerolamo Pelloux was an Italian general and politician, born of parents who retained their Italian nationality when Savoy was annexed to France....
cabinet (1898–1900), in which he was, so to speak, the representative of Baron Sonnino
Sidney Sonnino
Baron Sidney Costantino Sonnino was an Italian politician.Sonnino was born in Pisa to an Italian father of Jewish heritage and a Welsh mother...
's party. On the fall of Gen. Pelloux he hoped to return to office in a future Sonnino ministry; but as the latter seemed ever less likely to become a reality, Bertolini lost patience and joined Sig. Giolitti
Giovanni Giolitti
Giovanni Giolitti was an Italian statesman. He was the 19th, 25th, 29th, 32nd and 37th Prime Minister of Italy between 1892 and 1921. A left-wing liberal, Giolitti's periods in office were notable for the passage of a wide range of progressive social reforms which improved the living standards of...
.
His conduct in abandoning his old chief was much criticised at the time, but his new patron chose him as Minister of Public Works in the cabinet of 1907. He proved a capable administrator, but his qualities were taxed to the utmost by the terrible earthquake at Messina and Reggio in 1908
1908 Messina earthquake
The 1908 Messina earthquake and tsunami took some 100,000–200,000 lives on December 28, 1908 in Sicily and Calabria, southern Italy.-Quake:On December 28, 1908 from about 05:20 to 05:21 an earthquake of 7.2 on the moment magnitude scale occurred centered on the of city Messina, in Sicily. Reggio...
. When Giolitti returned to power in 1911 he did not at first offer an appointment to Bertolini, but in the autumn of 1912 he entrusted him with the newly constituted Ministry of the Colonies. He failed, however, to show any exceptional qualifications for that position, and did little more than introduce some of the less desirable features of the Italian bureaucratic system into the new Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n possessions; the continued resistance of the Arabs in Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
was generally regarded as largely due to Bertolini's administrative errors.
He was rapporteur for the extended suffrage
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
bill, which first came into force with the general elections of 1913; the measure had been introduced to please the demagogic spirit which Giolitti wished to conciliate, but Bertolini must be given credit for the ingeniousness of the machinery which he devised for enabling illiterates to vote and for avoiding electoral corruption as far as possible. On the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Bertolini, as a faithful Giolittian, was an uncompromising neutralist, and came in for much obloquy in consequence. Throughout the war he remained in retirement, and failed to be reflected in 1919. Sig. Nitti appointed him senator and president of the Italian delegation on the Reparations Commission.
He was the author of several valuable works on political and eonomic questions, notably a volume on local government in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.