Giuseppe Zanardelli

Giuseppe Zanardelli (* November 26, 1826 in Brescia, † December 26, 1903 in Maderno ) was an Italian statesman and legal advisor, as well as from 15 February 1901 to January 29, 1903 Prime Minister.

Life

Giuseppe Zanardelli fought in the departments of volunteers in the war of 1848, returned to the defeat at Novara to Brescia and back could temporarily live from law teaching. Later, he was persecuted by the Austrian police and because he refused to write for Austrians, he was denied the right to teach.

In 1860 he was elected as an MP in the last Parliament of the Kingdom of Sardinia, after which he was referring only administrative offices and devoted himself from 1876 onwards only active political career, than the left, of which he was the top leader, took power. As Minister of Public Works in the first cabinet of Agostino Depretis in 1876 and Minister of the Interior in the cabinet of Benedetto Cairoli in 1878, he showed remarkable abilities, which he dealt with the reform of the electoral law. Considerable disappointment brought his dealing with the problem of irredentism, as well as its policy to strangle the crime of violence, rather than to prevent them with caution. This attitude was, among others, the motivation for a steep increase of the murders.

After the fall of the government of Cairoli, he was released in December 1878 as Minister of Justice in the government of Depretis in 1881 returned to power and was able to finish the recording of the new trading book. Adopted by Depretis in 1883, he remained until 1887 in opposition. When he returned back to the government of Depretis as justice minister, he held that office in the next government of Francesco Crispi, until January 31, 1891. During this tenure, he was able to let adopt the new Penal Code and began a reform of the legal system. After the fall of the Cabinet Giovanni Giolitti Zanardelli tried unsuccessfully to form a new cabinet in 1893.

After his election as President of the Chamber of Deputies in the 18th and 20th legislative period in 1892 and 1897, he practiced with great skill from this office until December 1897. From the government under Antonio Starrabba appointed Minister of Justice, he was soon forced to because of the disagreements that he had with the government colleagues Emilio Visconti - Venosta, of the opinion, to prevent the civil unrest of May 1898 to withdraw.

On November 17, 1898 re-elected President of the Chamber, he left his place again, and fought in the years 1899/1900 the draft law on public safety. This opinion secured him the support of the extreme left in the formation of a new cabinet after the fall of the government of Saracco in February 1901. His poor health but allowed him not to do great works. The draft law on divorce, although already approved by the House of Representatives, had to be withdrawn because of the great resistance of the people.

Giuseppe Zanardelli retired from politics on November 2, 1903, died on 26 December of the same year.

With Giuseppe Zanardelli the famous song of Naples Torna a Surriento is connected. On September 15, 1902, Zanardelli, acting Prime Minister, to Sorrento. Baron Guglielmo Tramontano, the mayor of the small town, which was also the owner of the hotel, in the Zanardelli lodged, the brothers Gian Battista and Ernesto de Curtis called on to write a song for the distinguished guest. He hoped to make Zanardelli popular to reach the opening of a post office in Sorrento. Ernesto de Curtis took out an old tune he had composed a few years earlier and the brother wrote off the cuff a matching text for the occasion; so Torna a Surriento arose ( Come back to Sorrento ). After a few word changes the song at the Festival of Piedigrotta was sung in 1905. This level of awareness of this piece rose sharply until it became one of the most famous Neapolitan songs in the world.