Sidney Sonnino
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Baron Giorgio Sidney Sonnino (March 11, 1847 - November 24, 1922) was an Italian politician.
Sonnino was born in Pisa. In 1878, he started a newspaper (La Rassegna Settimanale), which changed from weekly economical reviews to daily political issues. In 1893, after working in several governmental positions, he became finance minister of Italy. He worked in the opposition after the fall of his party from power as a result of the lost Battle of Adwa. He served several times briefly as Prime Minister, in 1906 and again from 1909 to 1910.
After the events in 1914, Sonnino was initially supportive to the side of Germany and Austria-Hungary, but after becoming foreign minister in November 1914, he sided with the Allied forces, and signed the Treaty of London in 1915. Italy consequently declared war on Austria-Hungary on May 23, 1915.
When his territorial ambitions towards Austria-Hungary were shattered during the Paris Peace Conference, his party lost power again, and Sonnino retired from politics.
Preceded by: Alessandro Fortis | Prime Minister of Italy 1906 | Succeeded by: Giovanni Giolitti III |
Preceded by: Giovanni Giolitti III | Prime Minister of Italy 1909-1910 | Succeeded by: Luigi Luzzatti |
Preceded by: Antonio Paterṇ-Castello | Foreign Minister of Italy 1914-1919 | Succeeded by: Tommaso Tittoni |