How Did Bismarck Contribute To The Unification Of Italy

In a letter to an Italian friend, Napoleon wrote, “I do not wish to see Italy united. I want only independence. Unity would bring danger to me…” (Doc 11). Despite all of the bitter resentment, Cavour was pleasantly surprised when the northern and central states of Italy called for a fusion, and he returned to power in 1860 (McKay et al

Coming into the war “Italy had [a lack of] resources” (Life In Italy) with, “almost no transportation or industries” (Life In Italy). Due to the lack of resources “Italy’s industrialization had begun to be built in the 1890s” (Life In Italy) which was well behind the leading countries such as Germany, France and Britain. Since Italy had a slow moving industrialization it’s economy wasn't where the country wanted it to be, and one reason for joining the war in 1915 was to grow their military which would allow for a stronger economy. Due to the slow industrialization Italy “lacked proper and sufficient ammunition [along with] vehicles and ammunition” (Life In Italy), resulting in a very weak army. Infact “Italy's army was from from being able to join conflict” (Life In Italy), and because of this in 1915 they joined the war hoping to rebuild that army which would also help grow its economy. When Italy joined the war they fought with the allies mainly because they would receive many benefits including “control over territory on [the] border [of] Austria-Hungary stretching from Trentino through the South Tyrol to Trieste” (Italy Declares War on Austria-Hungary). This guaranteed territory allowed Italy to “fulfill its national dream” (Italy Declares War on Austria-Hungary) and would allow it to grow its military by being able to control some land

Germany started out as a divided nation fighting for dominance in Europe. Otto Von Bismarck was able to take this struggling complexity and unify it. During this process Bismarck turned the small country of Prussia into a powerhouse, growing the population from 11 to 18 million. Bismarck sprung from a landlord class and moved his way up the political ladder as realpolitik, realistic Politician. He was a man of simple ideals; he stressed duty, service, order, and the fear of God. These ideals along with manipulative tactics are what lead Bismarck on his journey of the unification of Germany, proving that without Bismarck’s diplomatic efforts between 1871 and 1890 Europe would not be the stabilized continent it is today.

There was much concern about the growing cities in the north while the south remained to depend on its agriculture for support. These concern have not yet been resolved to this day. To gain more territories, Italy joined Germany and Austria in the Triple Alliance in 1882 to conquer Ethiopia and Turkey (Defusco). At the outbreak of World War I, Italy remained neutral until 1915, when the Allies promised Italy more territories (Defusco). At the end of the war Italy only received two of the territories it was promised, which created a strong nationalistic view and disappointment amongst its people.

However, the German’s ideals of expansion were drastically more global than that of the Italians. While both believed that territorial expansion was a necessity for superiority, fascist Italy’s main focus of expansion was based upon that of the once powerful Roman Empire. This began with The Abyssinia Crisis of 1935, in which Italy invaded Ethiopia. The Abyssinia Crisis not only showed the pursuit from Italy towards becoming according to Overy what would be considered an empire, but also showed the lack of enforcement from the League of Nations as it pertains to collective security. British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain stated, “The circumstances in which the dispute between Italy and Abyssinian began appeared to offer an opportunity for the exercise of that policy which could hardly be more favorable for its success. The aggression was patent and flagrant, and there was hardly any country to which it appeared that a policy of sanctions could be exercised with a greater chance of success than upon Italy.” The foreign policy of Italy were explicit and began to be followed through with, due to the lack of influence from the League. So, while the Italian movement focused around becoming a “have” power and regaining their superiority though the Roman Empire, the German foreign policy revolved around the Lebensraum, or the land to

Under the guidance of Bismarck, the Prussian chancellor, the unification of a Kleindeutsch (small Germany) took place in 1871 after Prussia defeated France. There is often historical debate over who was responsible for the unification of Germany. Controversy is caused amongst those who believe that Bismarck was fully responsible for German unification and those who believe other factors played an equally or even more important part. The historian Pflanze is an example of someone who considers Bismarck to be solely responsible, as opposed to Bohme, who gives full credit to economic factors in unifying Germany. However, there is also a middle view, supported by historians such as Medlicott, who argue that Bismarck and other relevant factors

Therefore, they strategically persuaded European powers to fight against Austria…Italy provoked Austria into war Cavour then used Garibaldi’s popular appeal to his benefit. “When Garibaldi and Emmanuel rode through Naples to cheering crowds, they symbolically sealed the union of north and south, of monarch and people.” (McKay, 837) Italy was now unified.

As the war broke out in Europe in 1940, Mussolini did his best to stay away from the fighting. He preached to his people that his army was ready to fight in the war, and was prepared to defend himself, and conquer land for his country. (6) Benito Mussolini’s main objective in the war was to gain land, and claim the land for Italy. His idea was to create the ultimate empire, and rule over millions of people. "As World War II approached, Mussolini announced his intention of annexing Malta, Corsica, and Tunis." (7) His intentions increased as he captured Albania in April of 1939. His rise to the

War is inevitable, as it is simply the manifestation of the strength and vigour of the Italian people that wishes to expand itself, never looking back. Peace was considered as merely a “mask to surrender and cowardice.” Mussolini stressed that Italians required “forces, duty, and sacrifice” in order to rise again to their former greatness, that of the Roman Empire. This is also Mussolini’s rationale for harsh and severe actions against any who would resist or try and undermine fascism.

Nationalism and liberalism were two popular political philosophies of the late 19th century. Nationalism is the aspiration of a people with a common language, culture and traditions to be unified. Nationalism grew into a movement after 1815, influenced by literature, music, politics and economic developments between the northern Germany states. By 1848, nationalism was strong among Germans, but the course to unify German would prove to take time.

It has been said by several historians that the second half of the nineteenth century was the ‘Age of Bismarck.’ In the mid 1800’s Bismarck provided dynamic leadership- a trait which had been lacking during the events of 1848-89. Ian Mitchell stated “Bismarck was everywhere.” However, there has been a considerable degree of debate concerning the role of Bismarck in the unification of Germany. Some argue that unification would have been inevitable and had nothing to do with Bismarck, although others argue that the unification was solely down to Bismarck’s role. There are differing opinions on whether Bismarck was a planner or an opportunist or whether he was merely just

had one of the best education rates to be seen in a long time. Along

The document on Italy’s entry into WWI seems as if it would be a primary source specking from a time when Italy and it crisis were occurring. Giovanni Papini speaks in favor of fascism in italic government. He acknowledges that those who govern Italy are useless and weakened a once great power. Papini introduces fascism as a new generation that is more gifted, stronger, spirited, cultured, an honest than those who are now governing. Giovanni Papini voices that he believes fascist should have the right to rule in Italy because they will improve the damaged society. Papini approves of Italy going to war but says it will not be enough to save society and we will have to be done afterwards. The reason according to Papini for entry into war is to

World War I began in August of 1914, after the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand at Sarajevo, in what is now Yugoslavia. Following this period Italy was in a state of civil war, with the parliament incapable of providing effective leadership. There was a rise in social tension, as well as economic problems. This resulted in a new, more aggressive breed of Italian politicians. They followed a violent anarchic political credo, also known as fascism. Although Italy’s economy was weak, following World War I, it was effected more by political factors, such as the rise of fascism, and social factors as seen through the newspaper, Il Popolo d’Italia.

Bismarck was the man who did the most to unify Germany. It was clear that unification was one of his major objective which he announced in his famous ‘Blood and Iron speech’. I was fascinated by how he managed to unify the so many divided states. Thus, my historical investigation examines the question, to what extent was the Franco-Prussian war Bismarck’s final step to unify Germany? To assess whether the Franco-Prussian war was Bismarck’s final step for unifying the loose net of 39 German states or not, the investigation analyses the previous steps made by Bismarck to unify Germany. It investigates the events between 1962, when Bismarck became Minister president of Prussia and 1971, when Germany became officially unified. The events analyzed are the Danish war, The Prussian Austrian war and the Franco Prussian war.