Belle Epoque in Arms? Armed Associations and Processes of Democratization in Pre-1914 Europe

Abstract

In July 1904, over two thousand amateur cyclists took part in one of the first national conferences of the Italian cycling association Audax in Brescia. In addition to taking part in parades, races, and banquets, some of them participated in a military exercise alongside the regular army. This war game simulated a landing of Austrian troops-though the Habsburg Monarchy was an ally of the Kingdom of Italy at that time-and its purpose was to test the use of civilian volunteer cyclists for patrolling services. The cyclists received mod.91 rifles from the military-the same model used by regular troops at war-and set off to ride the length of the western shore of Lake Garda. Meanwhile, a few troops, along with military officials and ladies of high society, embarked on the steamer Agostino Depretis to play the invaders. As soon as the landing forces approached shore, the volunteer cyclists got them in their sights, and, down on their stomachs, fired blanks with their rifles, while the officials and ladies watched the scene with their binoculars. The drill was deemed a great success and considered to have fully achieved the goals of the cyclists' "spontaneous initiative": "tourism, if wisely applied and developed, can contribute to the education of youth and the defense of the country," commented the cyclists' monthly. 1 In 1908, the Ministry of War eventually recognized and supported the establishment of a "civilian organization" called the National Corps of Volunteer Cyclists and Motorists. This was just one of the large number of armed associations that were springing up across