Politics, Economics, Culture and Society Unification of Italy Politics, Economics, Culture and Society

The Political Situation in Italy Three republics- Genoa, Venice and Lucca In fact they were oligarchies- states where decisions were made only by the wealthy Piedmont was an absolute monarchy- word of the king was law

Political Situation Papal States were ruled as an absolute monarchy (with the Pope as the absolute ruler) Naples and Sicily were the same Smaller Duchies gave no political freedom to its inhabitants Austria, ruling Lombardy became a major influence on other areas through family alliances and connections

The Economic Situation Little trade between areas or regions- also little trade between cities and agricultural lands Most agricultural areas only grew enough food to survive on (subsistence)- much of Italy imported its food (what the?) Northern Italian lands were fertile and there was beginning to be some investment in these areas

The Economic Situation Piedmont and Lombardy had modern farming techniques (drainage, crop rotation, etc…) Outside of Lombardy, farmland was inferior; marshes, hazardous wetlands, mountains and ridges All of this equals poverty for rural Italians

The Economic Situation Trade was poor due to poor communications to urban centers Travel was difficult- terrible roads and bandits No cash economy in rural lands (in the 1700s!!!!)

The Economic Situation Most people lived in shanty like towns or in caves unable to read or write, low life expectancy and survived off of polenta rather than bread Landowners invested very little in industry- main industry was silk History of commercial finance in the cities but most of Italy was economically backward

Culture and Society Famous for its cities- Italian art, music and architecture was very influential in Europe These artistic achievements did not bind the Italian states together- why? Italian literature was only in one dialect, that of Tuscany, however by the late 18th century the language was on the decline due to the fact that most educated Italians spoke French Various regional dialects, hard to communicate with one another- Urban populations never ventured into the rural lands and rarely went into the southern lands of Italy