The Unification of Italy

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Italy was a land area of many separate states prior to its unification..

Machiavelli, several hundred years earlier, had despaired because Italy’s disunity made it weak and prey to foreign influence. The Peninsula was divided in the Middle Ages into competing city-states (They led the commercial and cultural revival of the West with their creativity during the Renaissance) It had since been a battle ground for the great powers of Europe since 1494 (France, Spain-HRE, Austria) It was divided on the eve of the 1848 Revolutions into areas controlled by Hapsburgs and Austria, Bourbons in the South and the middle controlled by the Papacy which was an independent political entity with his own mission Metternich after the COV said, Italy is “a geographical expression.”

This drive for a unified, glorious Italy was called the Risorgimento, or resurgence. Between 1815 and 1848 Nationalism and Romanticism caught fire as it did all across Europe He desired a centralized democratic republic based on male suffrage and the will of the Italian People

There had been earlier patriots who sought unification There had been earlier patriots who sought unification. Giuseppe Mazzini had organized a “Young Italy” organization to build loyalty to the Italian nation. Italians led by radical Guiseppe Mazzini and Risorgimento called for a unified peninsula He desired a centralized democratic republic based on male suffrage and the will of the Italian People

Let’s take a look at the major areas of Italy prior to unification:

The Catholic churches’ hold on Rome kept it out of unification for a while. The Church was dependent on French troops to keep it protected from uprisings. Napoleon III supplied these troops and they were in Rome for 20 years! The Church and the papacy, although early on under Pius IX had supported unification, shied away They had succumbed to fear and hostility after he had been temporarily been driven from Rome during 1848 They desired protection of their own power

The Papal states wanted to maintain independence and financial control…thus the Pope was not in favor of unification. They were now adamantly opposed to Unification and modern trends of liberalism and freedom IN 1864, Pius issued his Syllabus of Errors It denounced rationalism, socialism, separation of church and state, and religious liberty

So someone needed to take the lead in pushing for a united Italy…what region would it be?

Piedmont/Sardinia had a prime minister by Camille Cavour. Cavour, a nobleman, embraced economic doctrines and business tactics of the European Middle Class He turned toward industry and made a fortune investing in Sugar Mills, steamships, banks, and railroads After he was rich, he turned to politics and public service.

He knew that in order for Italy to united, he would need Frances’ help to prevent Austria from moving in and preventing unification. His goals for Italy were moderate (Moderate Nationalist) He envisioned a more powerful Italian Northern state ignoring the Papal States and 2 Sicilies because of their very different cultures and governments He worked to consolidate Sardinia as a liberal constitutional state capable of leading Northern Italy He built a program of highways and railroads, increased civil liberties and opposed clerical privelage These changes proved very popular and made Sardinia-Piedmont the #1 choice Italians looked to in order to bring about unification of Northern Italy He was a realist over everything (Realpolitik) He knew Piedmont and Victor Emmanuel would be no match for Austria unless they had help of a powerful ally He recruited Napoleon III for 3 reasons 1) Naps believed strongly in Nationality 2) He also wanted to gain more popularity by making France a main player in this historical progression 3) He also knew he could add territory to his “emerging” France

So, Cavour sent troops to support France and Britain’s effort in the Crimean war. Cavour maneuvered a secret alliance with France against Austria and sent aid to France in the Crimean War

Cavour & Napoleon III Meet at Plombières, 1858

At this point, Napoleon agreed to support Piedmont against Austria. The deal was then sealed

Cavour provoked a war with Austria, and so France and Piedmont went to war against the Austrian Empire. He then later manipulated the Austrians into attacking them first and Naps came to the rescue

There were two battles, Magenta and Solferino—But at the last minute Napoleon III made a secret agreement with Austria, and so Venetia remained with the Austrians, while Lombardy went with Piedmont. Napoleon III became nauseated by the gore of war and faced harsh criticism at home from French Catholics for supporting a declared enemy of the Pope He left Cavour in the dust Due to this unexpected change of events, Sardiania would only receive Lombardy (the area around Milan) The rest of the map didn’t change much Cavour resigned in rage However, Cavour’s plans were salvanged by popular revolts and Italian Nationalism While the war with Austria raged in the north, dedicated nationalists in central Italy had risen and driven out their rulers (The Urban Masses had taken to the streets)- They shouted “Italy and Victor Emmanuel….Foreigners, get out of Italy!”

The Italian States of Parma, Modena, and Tuscany and part of the Papal states had their governments collapse. They then agreed to join the Piedmont. So, at this point, a large part was united. Many Italians ignored the compromise of peace between Piedmont, France and Austria This is not what the Great Powers of Europe wanted Cavour returned to power in early 1860 and the people o cetnral Italy voted overwhelmingly to join a greatly enlarged kingdom of Sardinia (Cavour HAD ACHIEVED HIS GOAL!!)

So by 1860—this is how Italy stacked up: A Northern Italian Kingdom The papal states in the middle and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ruled by a Bourbon King in Naples.

Napoleon III allows this—but takes Nice and Savoy, and they remain with France to this day (though many people in these areas speak Italian).

A piedmont republican, named Giuseppe Garibaldi, organized a group of followers, called “red shirts”—he landed in Sicily then crossed to the mainland. The government of the Two Sicilies collapsed—very quickly they joined the Piedmont. He had success against insurmountable odds….He became a national hero Cavour decided not to ignore his success and cautiously decided to “USE” him He supported Garibaldi’s bold plan to liberate the Kingdom of 2 Sicilies Garibaldi landed with his “RED SHIRTS” and crushed the opposition He with roughly 1,000 troops, defeated 20,000 man royal army and took Palermo He was on FIRE He was about to attack Rome and finish the deal, but the Wily Cavour stepped in quickly He sent Sardinian forces to Occupy most of the Papal States but not Rome and intercepted Garibabldi Cavour knew that an attack on Rome would surely bring in France and they might undo what successes had already been accomplished. He also feared the popularity of Garibaldi as a threat to Victor Emmanuel Garibaldi decided to step aside rather than see Italians fighting each other (Very Honorable) He met with VE and they rode through the streets of Naples to cheering crowds and symbolically sealed the union of North and South, of monarch and people

GARIBALDI Cavour would have been fine to stop right there, however, super patriot Garibaldi was on the prowl He was the son of a poor sailor who personified the Romantic, Revolutionary nationalism of Mazzini in 1848 When he was 17 he went to Rome and Joined the New Italy Group He was sentenced to death in 1834 for his part in an uprising in Genoa, but he escaped to South America For 12 Years he led a guerilla band in Uruguay’s struggle for independence He returned to Italy to fight in 1848 and led a corps of volunteers against Austria in 1859

GARIBALDI- LEGENDARY He had success against insurmountable odds….He became a national hero Cavour decided not to ignore his success and cautiously decided to “USE” him He supported Garibaldi’s bold plan to liberate the Kingdom of 2 Sicilies Garibaldi landed with his “RED SHIRTS” and crushed the opposition He with roughly 1,000 troops, defeated 20,000 man royal army and took Palermo///He was on FIRE!!!!! He was about to attack Rome and finish the deal, but the Wily Cavour stepped in quickly He sent Sardinian forces to Occupy most of the Papal States but not Rome and intercepted Garibaldi Cavour knew that an attack on Rome would surely bring in France and they might undo what successes had already been accomplished. He also feared the popularity of Garibaldi as a threat to Victor Emmanuel Garibaldi decided to step aside rather than see Italians fighting each other (Very Honorable) He met with VE and they rode through the streets of Naples to cheering crowds and symbolically sealed the union of North and South, of monarch and people

How did it go down?

HOW IT WENT DOWN! Cavour controlled Garibaldi and had turned popular nationalism in a conservative Direction REMEMBER, GARIBALDI LOVED ITALY MORE THAN HIMSELF AND POWER!!!!! (NICE GUY!) The new Kingdom was neither radical or democratic (It was a parliamentary monarchy under Victor Emmanuel) Only a small minority of Italian males had the right to vote. There was a division between the industrialized North and the stagnant agrarian south It was united politically, but divisions remained.

Everyone’s united except for Venetia and Rome.

Garibaldi & His “Red Shirts” Unite with Cavour

Venetia would join up in 1866 after helping Prussia against Austria…

And Rome was finally made part of Italy after the French troops withdrew because of France’s defeat in the Franco Prussian war.

Italy’s unification was complete.

A Unified Peninsula! A contemporary British cartoon, entitled "Right Leg in the Boot at Last," shows Garibaldi helping Victor Emmanuel put on the Italian boot.

Thank goodness for Italia!