Italian Unification

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Italian Unification
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• The Italian Unification or Italian Risorgimento
  is known as the chain of political and military
  events that produced a united Italian peninsula
  under the Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

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Five Stages

• Pre-Revolutionary
• Revolutionary
• Cavours Policy and the Role of Piedmont
• Garibaldis Campaign in Southern Italy
• Creation of the Italian Kingdom

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Pre-Revolutionary Phase

• After the Napoleonic Wars and Napoleon
  Bonapartes second defeat, the major powers that
  has resisted met at a conference called the
  Congress of Vienna in 1815
• Agenda limit Frances Power, balance of power
  (no nation too strong), divide up territory
  conquered by Napoleon
• The topic of discussion was to limit Frances
  power, set limits on nations so no one nation
  become too strong, and divide up the territory
  conquered up by Napoleon.

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• Italian Peninsula returned to Austria, which
  controlled many of the Italian states
• Few independant states Kingdom of Sardinia,
  which controlled Piedmont, Savoy, Nice and Genoa
• In its negotiations, the congress returned
  domination of the Italian Peninsula to Austria.
  Austria now occupied Lombardy and Venice and had
  considerable influence on other Italian states.
  One of the few places of independence was the
  Kingdom of Sardinia, which now controlled
  Piedmont, Nice, Savoy and Genoa..

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• Some of the things that conflicted and interfered
  with the unification process were Austrian
  control of Lombardy and Venice, several
  independent Italian states, the autonomy of the
  Papal States, and the limited power and influence
  of Italian leaders

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Revolutionary Phase

• During first half of 19th C, only very educated
  wanted unification
• The masses showed no concern.

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• At first, only wanted more rights from govt
• But they became more revn
• By 1820, Carbonari involved in many failed
  revolutions against Italian states
• Austrian Empire crushed all of them

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• However, the people with a passion for
  unification started to form secret societies,
  namely the Carbonari. Although at first, they
  only demanded more rights from their respective
  government, the cause began to grow.

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• By 1820, the Carbonari were involved in numerous
  failed revolutions against the Kingdom of Two
  Sicilies, the Kingdom of Sardinia, Bolonga, and
  other Italian states. However, the Austrian
  Empire crushed all of these revolutions thus
  leading to more resentment from the Italians.

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• Soul and spirit of Carbonari and revns was
  Giuseppe Mazzini
• Wanted a united Italy with republican govt
• He popularized the movement by creating Young
  Italy, which spread ideas of unification
• 1848, revolutions in Europe, some reforms, but
  not enough

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• The revolution also occurred in the Kingdom of
  Two Sicilies were the king signed a constitution.
• In the Papal States, radical took over Rome,
  causing the Pope to flee.
• In the absence of the pope, Garibaldi and Mazzini
  created a republic called the Roman Republic.
• In Piedmont, after the insistence of nationals,
  the King Charles Albert was sent to Lombardy in
  their fight for freedom from Austrian rule.

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• 1848 revolutions crushed
• 1849, France sent troops to Rome, and destroyed
  the short lived Roman Republic
• Piedmont lost to Austria, and the King was forced
  to abdicate, causing his son Victor Emanuel II to
  become King in 1849

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• Unification of Italy seemed far off
• But, a turning point Count Cavour was appointed
  prime minister of Piedmont in 1852
• Italy would never be the same

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Cavours Policy and the Role of Piedmont

• By the use of bargaining, putting great powers
  against each other, war, and political cunning,
  Cavour was able to unite Italy in a short time.

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• Piedmont a small state but it had considerable
  influence due to its military strength
• Also, Victor Emmanuel ruled with parliament,
  which created stability
• Cavour wanted a strong state ie Piedmont, to lead
  the unification
• And Piedmont can only become strong with
  railroads, economic freedom, stable finances, and
  a higher standard of living.

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• Cavour needed an ally France
• Got Napoleon III on his side, since they both
  hated Austria
• Napoleon wanted a liberated Italy
• To seal the deal of this partnership, both
  leaders met secretly at Plombieres, a French spa.
  Piedmont would stir up trouble in one of the
  territories controlled by Austria, thus forcing
  Austria to go to war against Piedmont. France
  would help Piedmont in exchange for Nice and
  Savoy.

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• In April 1859, war broke out between Piedmont and
  Austria.
• France and Piedmont did well won battles at
  Magenta and Solferino
• Prussian mobilized in defence of Austria
• Nap scared, signed a peace with Austria, angered
  Cavour
• Piedmont received Lombardy from Austria as a
  result of the war. After the war and the
  political maneuvering, Piedmont had greatly
  increased its size. However, Garibaldis campaign
  in southern Italy would more than double the size
  of the kingdom

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Garibaldis Campaign in Southern Italy

• If Mazzini was the soul of the unification
  process, then Garibaldi was the hero
• He recruited soldiers from Genoa to go to Sicily
• The expedition of soldiers was an instant hit
• Garibaldis red shirts had tremendous success
• He wanted Rome, but this worried Cavour
• Cavour like a fox, started uprisings in papal
  states, and sent Piedmonts army to stop it
• 1860, 2/3 of papal states joined piedmont, and
  rome was left alone
• Him and his troops marched south
• Sept 18, Garibaldi gave up command of his army,
  shook hands with Victor Emmanuel unity of
  Kingdom of Italy in 1861

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Creation of the Italian Kingdom

• Although the Kingdom was formed, it did not
  include all of Italy
• Rome and Venetia missing
• Rome under control of France, Venetia was
  Austrias
• 1866, Seven Weeks war with Aust/Prussia
• Austria promised Venetia if Italy remained
  neutral, Prussia promised it if they joined
  prussia
• Italy joined prussia, and they won

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• In 1870, the Franco-Prussian War occurred between
  France and Germany and Napoleon III was forced to
  pull the French troops from Rome to aid the war
  effort. While Rome and the remaining Papal States
  remained unprotected, Italian troops marched in
  unopposed. In October 1870 Rome voted to join the
  union and in July 1871, it became the capital.

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• In the end, Cavour, Garibaldi, and Mazzini became
  the founding fathers of a nation and were
  immortalized.

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