# Why was Italy's WWI performance so poor?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-italys-wwi-performance-so-poor/707464>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 17, 2014, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-italys-wwi-performance-so-poor/707464 "2014-12-17T02:46:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-italys-wwi-performance-so-poor/707464/21 "2015-05-06T06:37:57Z")

</div>

> [@installLSC](#):
>
> Unlike Austria, Russia, and the Ottomans they were a united nation state with no recent history of rebellions.

That didn’t necessarily make its citizens sufficiently attached to Italian (as opposed to local) patriotism to fight wars with any enthusiasm, especially if poorly led and managed. Did the Italian government’s casus belli have any great popular enthusiasm behind it (as compared with the other major combatants)?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-italys-wwi-performance-so-poor/707464/22 "2015-05-06T06:50:34Z")

</div>

From what I understand, Italy is barely a united country _now_.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-italys-wwi-performance-so-poor/707464/23 "2015-05-06T15:46:02Z")

</div>

> [@Kimble](#):
>
> [Worst Military Leader (game thread)](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=585694) – Even though I’m not that big of a history buff, I still enjoyed reading all 500+ posts the first time I saw that thread linked (and I might read it again now – I’m kinda bored).

Yeah, it was fun, considering all of the death, woe and suffering the nominees had collectively caused.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-italys-wwi-performance-so-poor/707464.md?page=1)