Paolo Boselli | |
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| Prime Minister of Italy | |
| In office 18 June 1916 – 29 October 1917 | |
| Monarch | Victor Emmanuel III |
| Preceded by | Antonio Salandra |
| Succeeded by | Vittorio Emanuele Orlando |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1838-06-08)8 June 1838 |
| Died | 10 March 1932(1932-03-10) (aged 93) |
| Political party | Italian Liberal Party |
Paolo Boselli (Italian:[ˈpaːoloboˈzɛlli]; 8 June 1838 – 10 March 1932) was an Italian politician who served as the 34thprime minister of Italy duringWorld War I.[1]
Boselli was born inSavona,Liguria. Boselli was the first professor of science at the University of Rome prior to entering politics.[2] He served for 51 years as a liberal rightist parliamentary deputy, and as a senator from 1921. Appointed Minister of Education in 1888, Boselli reorganised the Bank of Italy with his next portfolio, as Minister of the Treasury in 1899. He also served inSidney Sonnino's 1906 government.
In June 1916, he was a relatively undistinguished center-right politician and one of the oldest members of the Italian parliament, when he was appointed prime minister, following the collapse of theSalandra government as a result of military defeats.[3] Boselli formed an ideologically broad coalition composed of one Catholic, one republican, two reformist socialists, two radicals, five left-wing liberals, and six conservative-liberals.[4]
His government fell in October 1917 as a result of the military defeat in theBattle of Caporetto, in which Italy lost some 800,000 men, all of the conquest made so far inWorld War I, as well asFriuli and parts of theVeneto. Boselli had been a strong supporter of commander-in-chiefLuigi Cadorna, who was also fired in the aftermath of Caporetto.
During Boselli's time as prime minister, a decree of August 1917 extended the principle of compulsory insurance against accidents to agricultural workers generally. He died in Rome on 10 March 1932, and was buried inTurin.
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| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Italy 1916–1917 | Succeeded by |
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