Antonio Salandra (13 August 1853 – 9 December 1931) was a conservative Italian politician, journalist, and writer who served as the 21st prime minister of Italy between 1914 and 1916.

At the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, Salandra declared that Italy would not commit its troops, maintaining that the Triple Alliance had only a defensive stance and Austria-Hungary had been the aggressor.

On February 16, 1915, despite concurrent negotiations with Austria, a courier was dispatched in great secrecy to London with the suggestion that Italy was open to a good offer from the Entente.

Salandra began to think that victory for the Entente was in sight, and was so anxious not to arrive too late for a share in the profits that he instructed his envoy in London to drop some demands and reach agreement quickly.

Salandra had expected that Italy's entrance on the allied side would bring the war to a quick solution.

Five unsuccessful Italian offensives on the Isonzo and the Austro-Hungarian Trentino Offensive in May to July 1916 contributed to a military crisis that led to the collapse of Salandra's government on 10 June 1916, due to a combination of neutralist deputies and those who believed that Salandra had not been effective enough in the war effort.

[8] Defunct He is the author of a considerable number of works on economics, finance, history, law, and politics (New International Encyclopedia).