Cavour and the Italian War of 1859: The Unification of Italy

1
Cavour and the Italian War of 1859 The
Unification of Italy

• Section 13.64

2
Italian Nationalism The Program of Cavour

• Several small and large states in Italy existed
• Reorganized by Napoleon and the Congress of
  Vienna
• The governments were content with their
  independence
• but governments were distant from their people
• The people desired a nation that reflected the
  past glories of Italy and were generally
  disgusted with their govs (Risorgimentoresurgence
  )-
• Movement gained steam during French Rev and
  Napoleon
• Mazzini promoted similar ideas
• Saw the cause of Italian unity with almost holy
  character

GIUSEPPE MAZZINI
3
Barriers

• 1848 efforts failed when the Pope denounced the
  radical movement
• Austrias far reaching influence was another
  barrier
• Outside assistance would be needed to separate
  Italy from Austrias umbrella of control
• King Victor Emmanuel of the Piedmont (Sardinia)
• Designs on surrounding territories

Pius IX
Francis Joseph
4
Camillo di Cavour

• King Victor Emmanuels (Savoy) minister
• Cavour was a Western liberal/ Realpolitik
  practitioner
• Directed an efficient government
• Built up the infrastructure (RR, docks)
• Limited the role of the Church
• Cutting down number of holidays, limiting right
  of church bodies to own real estate, abolishing
  church courts without consulting the Holy See
• Opened up free trade

5
Camillo di Cavour

• Opened up free trade
• Engineered the unification process
• Embraced the toughness of mind and the politics
  of reality
• Had no sympathy for revolutionary romantics like
  Mazzini
• was no fan of war but was OK with it to unify
  Italy under house of Savoy
• he took Piedmont in Crimean War
• Realized that ousting Austria required the help
  of France
• Supported France in the Crimean War
• Wanted to pit French against Austria

6
Napoleon III

• Was agreeable to war against Austria
• Had traveled Italy and participated in
  insurrections there in 1831
• Saw himself as the apostle of modernity
• Italy was Bonaparte familys ancestral home
• Believed in idea of doctrine of nationalities
• Consolidation of nations meant progress

7
Napoleon III

• Would show France that he supported liberal
  causes (by fighting reactionary Austria)
• Silence his critics
• Orsinis assassination attempt
• An Italian republican who in 1858 attempted to
  kill Napoleon with a bomb
• this motivated Nap to make up his mind
• 1859 French troops move against Austria

8
Napoleons Quandary

• French defeat Austrian resistance
• But Prussia was mobilizing
• Nervous about French sphere of influence
• Italy began to erupt with revolutionary activity
• local governments were overthrown
• Calls for unification with Piedmont were made
• Napoleon is no fan of revolution
• Papacy was threatened so French soldiers were
  sent in to protect pope
• French Catholics resented the loss of the Popes
  temporal power
• Blamed Napoleon for this godless war
• Napoleon III was fighting on both sides of the
  war
• Napoleon III made peace with Austria
• This stupefied Cavour

9
Franco-Austrian Agreement

• Piedmont received Lombardi
• Austria kept Venetia
• Offered compromise to the Italian unity question
• Created a federal union of existing governments
  with the Pope in charge
• Not what Cavour or the Piedmontese, or the
  patriots wanted

10
Franco-Austrian Agreement

• Revolution continued and drove out rulers of
  Tuscany, Modena, Parma, Romagna
• Piedmont annexed these territories and held a
  plebiscites
• Pope excommunicated leaders
• Romagna had been part of Papal States
• Reps from north Italy (except Venetia) met in
  Turin in 1860 and held first parliament of the
  new and improved Italy
• This was supported by English and French

11
The Completion of Italian Unity

• 1860 Italy consists of three parts
• Northern Piedmont
• Papal States
• Southern States (Kingdom of the Two Sicilies)
  ruled by Bourbon king in Naples
• Under the House of Bourbon
• Giuseppe Garibaldi from the Piedmont
• The Lafayette of Italy (Hero of 2 worlds)
• Soldier of fortune in Uruguay and the United
  States

12
The Completion of Italian Unity

• Organized Garibaldis Thousand or Red Shirts
• 1,150 personal followers
• Led them on armed expedition to southern Italy
• Cavour closed his eyes to Garibaldis bold move
• Garibaldi sailed south and attacked
• The corrupt and unpopular governments (2
  Sicilies) collapse
• Garibaldi turned north toward Rome
• Potential move against the French in Rome and the
  Papacy threatened Cavours unification efforts

13
The Completion of Italian Unity

• Cavour anticipated Garibaldis move and sent
  troops southward while carefully avoiding Rome
• Garibaldi accepts Victor Emmanuels leadership
  and the north and south are joined with seceding
  Papal states
• Garibaldi now thought a monarchy was best
  solution for unification
• Rode in open carriage with Victor Emmanuel thru
  streets of Naples
• Plebiscites confirmed willingness to join

14
The Completion of Italian Unity

• 1861 Kingdom of Italy is proclaimed
• 1866 Venetia was added in return for Italian
  support of Prussia against Austria
• 1870 Rome was annexed after French troops
  withdrew during the Franco-Prussian War
• Italy was made by apostolate of Mazzini, audacity
  of Garibaldi and cold policy of Cavour

15
Persistent Problems After Unification

• Claims for an expanded Italy continued
• They want Trentino, Dalmatian islands, Nice,
  Savoy added
• Italia Irredentism-An unredeemed Italy
• Irredentism has come to mean a vociferous demand
  for territory on nationalistic grounds
• Deep political differences between the Pope and
  the new nation of Italy continued

16
Persistent Problems After Unification

• Occupation of Rome 1870 (after French left)
  renewed Popes condemnation
• they took the Papal states and he remained in
  Vatican secluded
• Great differences between northern and southern
  Italy continued to exist
• North looks upon South as backward
• Few within Italy possessed the vote
• Only 600 thou out of 20 mil can vote
• Disenfranchisement fueled revolutionary
  discontent
• Gradually the revolutionary movement shifted
• Marxian socialism, Anarchism, Syndicalism
• However Italy was united and an age old dream of
  recapturing past glory is closer to being realized