The Risorgimento The Unification of Italy,

The Risorgimento – Key Questions What were the main ideas of the Risorgimento? Why did unification succeed in the 1860s but fail in the first half of the 19 th century? Why did the Revolutions in the Italian states ( ) end in failure and what lessons were learnt from their failure? How important was the political and economic development of Piedmont to the Unification of Italy? What was the significance of the following individuals to the unification of Italy: Mazzini; Cavour; Victor Emmanuel; Napoleon III and Garibaldi? Why was the Church an important political factor in Italy and how did Pope Pius IX obstruct the progress of unification? Did Italy owe its unification more to external (international) forces than to the efforts of the Italians themselves? To what extent was Italy a unified nation after 1861 – what social, economic, cultural and geographical divisions continued in the 1860s?

Italy, 1815

Italy, March 1860

Italy, March 1861