How significant was the role of individuals in the making of modern Italy in the period c1800-1900?
The making of modern Italy undoubtedly did not come easily, since the Italian peninsula was so diverse politically and culturally into many individual and independent states; which were dominated by foreign powers. Unification did not happen due to a single factor, but it took over half a century for several factors to finally unite Italy, even if it was for name sake only. It is fairly accurate to say that foreign power is a dominating factor which had pushed for changes for the making of modern Italy, and that some factors held a greater significance than others and therefore leaving a bigger impact. However if it weren’t the contributions of all these factors, then the struggle of achieving unification would seem far off.
Ed Beavington believed that the importance of nationalism in the unification of Italy in his article states that “in terms of effective role in the creation of the kingdom of Italy, it was overshadowed by the role of foreign intervention.” Furthermore, he comes to conclude that the succession of unification in Italy was united from above (North Italy), not below. This supports the argument that foreign power is a dominating factor and its importance can be seen throughout this entire process up to post 1870. Alternatively, Ed Beavington had also argued that “Italian national consciousness was almost non-existent before Napoleons Bonaparte invasion of the
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
During this time period, there were alterations in many civilizations. Some had multiple major fluctuations, while others did not change much but were long lasting. The Mongols, for instance, did similar (if not the same things) over and over again throughout their reign. What they did was successful and because of that, their empire was long lasting. Unlike the Mongols, Italy had much change during this period of time. Both of these things caused the two different societies to flourish and last. The Mongols had the greatest continuity over time, but Italy had the greatest change over time, ending in good results for both of the civilizations.
Italy’s problems started with the fact that it didn’t have one main ruler, but two people and a concept, resulting in a different approach to the unification. Gulseppe Mazzini had a radical program focusing on a centralized democratic republic based on universal suffrage and the will of the people. Vincenzo Gioberti, who was a catholic priest called for a federation of existing states
Whoever ignores this love of the individual regions of Italy will always build on sand.” (DOC 2) People believed the diverse social classes and power would not make for a unified country. Count Camillo Benso di Cavour, a politician from Piedmont-Sardinia, said, “Active power resides almost exclusively in the middle class and part of the upper class, both of which have ultraconservative interests to defend.” (DOC 4) Daniele Manin, a politician from Venice, wrote, “Peoples who have different origins and customs should not be forced together, because otherwise civil war will follow the war of independence.” (DOC 6) People against unification felt that bringing the diverse states together would cause more problems and do more harm than good. There were obvious pros and cons to the unification if Italy, but some civilians were on the fence.
After being separated since the fall of the Roman Empire and acting as only “a geographic expression,” Italy finally underwent the process of unification and succeeded in 1870. For hundreds of years, Italy was ruled under city-states, therefore the peninsula was unable to form a unified nation. However, through several political leaders, such as Giuseppe Mazzini and Camillo Cavour, helped manifest the Italian unification process to success in the 19th century. As Italy struggled for unity and national identity in the period circa 1830-1870, contrasting viewpoints emerged on what type of government should rule over the peninsula, with options such as a republic, papacy, or not unifying at all.
Gioberti suggests that the unification would remove civil disputes, such as wars and revolutions, that occurred within Italy as well as create such a strong Italy that no foreign forces could penetrate it. This was important at the time, while many foreign forces, such as Prussia and Austria, had invaded Italy. It was also important that Italy unify in order to prevent revolutions, for Italy had had multiple revolutions prior to this time period. Though some would disagree with these benefits, Marquis Massimo d’ Azeglio, a politician from Piedmont, had said “... ask any Italian, north or south, whether or not it is useful for Italy to free itself from foreign domination and influence, and no one, thank God, will reply other than in the affirmative.” (Document 6) Azeglio says that, though not everyone agrees with Unification, everyone would agree that it is better for Italy to free itself from foreign domination. This could possibly be done through Italian unification and the impossibility of foreign invaders, which was mentioned by Gioberti. Many people believed in the Italian unification for its abilities to create strength, remove civil problems, and prevent foreign domination and
The Italian Renaissance was a period in history unlike most others; this was an era of ingenuity, expansion, and enlightenment that would revolutionize both society as the people of the Renaissance knew it to be, and as the future generations of individuals across the globe understand it today. Florence held itself out to be the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, yet the people of this renaissance era never lost sight of the Greek and Roman heritage. The following essay will discuss the varying ways in which Florence was the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, and will provide the reader with examples that demonstrate Greco-Roman ideas and practices in the Italian Renaissance.
The High Renaissance in Italy, although short lived, was extremely important on the influences of future Italian art. During the High Renaissance the main focus on Florence, for the arts, shifted to Rome due to the power and wealth from the popes. Because of the move from Florence to Rome, the two most important factors of this time, Classicism and Christianity, were merged into one. “Italian ideas were also brought northward through trade and commerce into Europe, where they had a tremendous amount of influence on the artistic traditions there as well” (Benton & DiYanni, 2008).
In this essay I will talk about; The growing wealth of Italy, divided Italy, the classical period, humanists, trade and exploration. The main reasons of why the Renaissance started in Italy during the 15th century were the growing wealth of italy because the history
Giuseppe Mazzini was instrumental in unifying the Italian nation as his ideals spread throughout Italy’s intellectual community. Although many of his attempts at rallying the common people to a revolution failed, he circulated and popularized the idea of a fully unified Italy for the first time since the fall of the Roman Empire. In his work “The Duties of Man,” Mazzini establishes that he is largely a romantic nationalist, since he draws heavily on history; however, he utilizes the power of certain liberal nationalist sentiments such as individuals’ rights in his own work.
In this essay, I will be discussing the origins and relevancy of Rome’s conquest of Italy during the Middle Republic. Included will be Rome’s governing structure of it’s allied states, and the treaties, both of which aided in the long term success of Rome.
The renaissance was a time of great and immeasurable change within all aspects of European life; so much so that it could be seen as beginnings of our modern western society. Leading this revitalization in culture and society in Europe’s historical development were to the two of the most dominant states of renaissance Italy, Florence and Venice. These small city-states were the powerhouses of the time and assisted speeding up the renaissance and helped spur revolutionary developments along the way being the main hubs of influence in the Italian peninsula during the late 13th and early 16th century. Florence could be characterized as a financial centre, with their banking system considered extraordinarily ahead of time; in addition being the main producers of fine elevated their chances to conduct successful trading ventures. Venice was considered one of the largest centers of trade being a coastal city of the shores of the Adriatic Sea, which allowed for prosperous trade with what was then considered the Eastern world; the city was also well known for their quality in ship building as well which likely contributed to them being a large naval power in the region. Now due to fact that both city-states were two different sovereign parts of Italy meant having two different approaches and views on or about a multitude of ideas. To understand the impact of Florence and Venice, the two very influential and affluent republics in renaissance Italy, it is crucial to analyze their over
Italy has been shaped by its history of constant warring and many rulers, which in turn has made Italians doubtful toward authority as well as giving them a strong ability to survive difficult situations (Welcome to Italy).
As a result of how Italy was created but not fully unified, the new Italian state suffered from a variety of weaknesses which the new liberal state was unable to tackle these. This made Italy susceptible to the appeal of fascism, and therefore aided Mussolini’s rise to power.
in the portrayal of this period of Italian history. In order to gain a more insightful