13 - The esercenti and the centre-left administration, 1900–1905

Summary

The political contest within Milan during the first years of the new century was fundamentally different from that which had preceded it. The most obvious sign of this was the Giunta itself, the first to be drawn from the Democrat bloc, made up of what were referred to as the partiti popolari. The change of administration was an indication of the progress of democratisation in Milanese politics. The process was an evolutionary one, but the period at the beginning of the twentieth century marked a significant step in the development of mass politics.

The key to this was the switch from wealth to literacy as the basis of the franchise. This change had been instituted in 1882 for national elections, and in 1889 for local ones, and it effectively insured a gradual change in electoral calculations. As educational levels improved, particularly amongst those who laboured in the better-organised and better-rewarded industries to which Milan played host, so the number of voters rose. By 1904 there were 59,418 voters on the municipal rolls of whom 20,914 were designated as workers, whilst 8,933 were given as esercenti. The political rolls contained 20,370 workers and 7,851 esercenti amongst the 52,773 registered. Office workers made up around 12,000–13,000 voters, professional some 5,500–7,000.

These figures underline the importance of the working-class vote in the city, and help explain the success of the Milanese Socialist party.