Page:General History of Europe 1921.djvu/678

520 General History of Europe 928. Italy becomes a European Power. In order to maintain the dignity of her new position Italy rapidly increased her army and navy. Universal military service was introduced as in other European states, and modern warships were built. Then the Italians set about gaining colonies in Africa and in 1887 sent an army into Abyssinia ; but after some fifteen years of intermittent warfare they were able to retain only a strip along the coast of the THE PAPAL GARDENS AT THE VATICAN, ROME These few acres 5 along with a summer residence which the popes never use, and the two churches of the Vatican and the Lateran in Rome, are all that is left of the temporal sovereignty of the papacy Red Sea about twice the size of the state of Pennsylvania. Again, in 1911, by a war with Turkey, they took Tripoli on the south shore of the Mediterranean ( 1103). 929. Emigration from Italy. The cost of armaments made Italy almost bankrupt at times, and as it was not a rich country, taxes were very high. Since these fell largely upon the poor, hun- dreds of thousands of Italians left their land as emigrants, prefer- ring the United States or Argentina to their own colonies. Many of those who stayed at home became discontented with the govern- ment, some becoming Socialists. Still the present monarchy has