Despite Italy's official alliance to the German Empire and Austria-Hungary in the Triple Alliance, the country initially remained neutral in the initial stage of World War I, claiming that the Triple Alliance was only for defensive purposes.
March
March 10 – Prime Minister Giovanni Giolitti resigns, as a result of the resignation of radical ministers.[1]
March 21 – The cons a new government. The government attempts to win the support of nationalists and moves to the political right.[2]
May
May 1 – In Trieste clashes break out between Slovenes and Italian irredentists, who organize demonstrations in many Italian cities.[1]
June 7 – Red Week after the killing of three anti-militarist demonstrators in Ancona. Many elements of the left protest and the Italian Socialist Party declare a general strike. Various acts of civil disobedience occur in major cities and small towns such as seizing railway stations, cutting telephone wires, and burning tax-registers. Two days later the strike was officially called off, but the civil strife continued. Militarist nationalists and anti-militarist leftists fought on the streets until the Italian Royal Army forcefully restored calm after having used thousands of men to put down the various protesting forces.[2]
August 3 – At the outbreak of World War I, the government, led by the conservative Antonio Salandra, declares that Italy would not commit its troops, maintaining that the Triple Alliance had only a defensive stance and Austria-Hungary had been the aggressor. In reality, both Salandra and the minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonino Paternò Castello, begin to probe which side would grant the best reward for Italy's entrance in the war and to fulfil Italy’s irredentist claims. Although the majority of the cabinet (including former Prime Minister Giolitti) is firmly against intervention, numerous intellectuals, including Socialists such as Ivanoe Bonomi and Leonida Bissolati declare in favour of intervention. One of the most prominent and popular Italian nationalist supporters of the war was Gabriele d'Annunzio who helped sway the Italian public to support intervention in the war.
October 16 – Foreign Minister Paternò Castello dies and is succeeded ad interim by Prime Minister Salandra.
October 18 – Benito Mussolini, chief editor of the socialist newspaper Avanti!, declares to be in favour of intervention on the side of the Triple Entente.[1]
October 20 – The leadership of the Italian Socialist Party (PSI), meeting in Bologna, rejects the motion contrary to the absolute neutrality presented by Mussolini and issues a manifesto against the war.[1]
October 31 – Treasury Minister Giulio Rubini, contrary to the expected increase in military spending, resigns. The government of Prime Minister Salandra quits, but negotiations about a second Salandra government start.[1]
November
November 5 – The second Salandra government is inaugurated with Sidney Sonnino as Foreign Minister, who continues to follow the negotiating strategy set by his predecessor Paternò Castello.[1]
November 15 – Mussolini founds the newspaper Il Popolo d'Italia ("The People of Italy") advocating militarism and irredentism. The paper was subsidized by the French and industrialists on the pretext of influencing Italy to join the Entente Powers and became the foundation for the Fascist movement in Italy after World War I. Mussolini is expelled from the PSI on November 24.[1]
November 29 – Italy, although officially neutral, occupies the port of Vlorë in Albania pretending to protect Albanian territories from a Greek invasion.
December
December 3 – Prime Minister Salandra addresses the Italian Chamber of Deputies reconfirming Italy's neutralist line, but at the same time claiming the "fair aspirations of Italy".[1]
December 4 – Giolitti speaks in Parliament in favour of neutrality.
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