1922 Encyclopædia Britannica/Luzzatti, Luigi

LUZZATTI, LUIGI (1841-), Italian statesman and economist (see 17.148), was Minister of Agriculture in the second Sonnino Cabinet (Dec. 2 1909-March 21 1910), and on the resignation of the latter was called upon to form a Cabinet himself. His administration, which lasted until March 18 1911, was not very successful. Although a man of first-class financial ability, great honesty and wide culture, he had not the strength of character necessary to lead a Government; he showed lack of energy in dealing with opposition and tried to avoid all measures likely to make him unpopular. Furthermore he never realized that with the Chamber, as it was then constituted, he only held office at Giolitti's good pleasure. During the World War he was consistently pro-Ally and strongly supported Italian intervention, but his tone was on the whole pessimistic. Although he did not take office while the war lasted, he was always consulted on all financial matters, and his sound advice was generally followed. He became Treasury Minister in the second incarnation of the Nitti Cabinet (March 12-May 10 1920), but did not resume office in the third. At the general elections of May 1921 he decided not to stand for Parliament again, and was made a senator. In spite of his great age, he continued to write on economic and financial problems with his accustomed lucidity and soundness of judgment, insisting on the necessity for Italy to return to freedom of trade and to reduce Government interference in business matters to a minimum.