Boselli, Paolo

(1838–1932)

   Born in the Ligurian city of Savona, Paolo Boselli was elected to Parliament for the first time in 1870. An academic lawyer, Boselli held a series of second-rank ministerial posts between 1888 and 1906. In June 1916, Boselli, who had been a strong supporter of Italian intervention in World War I, was called upon to replace Antonio Salandra as prime minister after initial Austrian successes had led to the fall of the town of Asiago. He formed a cabinet that contained representatives from all the political parties except the Partito Socialista Italiano/Italian Socialist Party (PSI). Boselli, however, proved to be an inadequate choice as prime minister. His inexperience in military and foreign affairs, lack of a personal political base, and advanced age all hindered his ability to control either the authoritarian commander of the Italian forces, General Luigi Cadorna, or the unruly members of his majority. His government fell after the disaster of Caporetto in October 1917 emphasized the dramatic failings of the Italian war effort. Boselli became a nationalist and a fascist after the war, although he held no further political office. He died in Rome in 1932.