Italian Unification Research Paper

Garibaldi and Cavour were two very influential people in the unification for Italy and without them the unification may not have occurred. Although they both ultimately wanted the same thing, the unification of Italy, they went about it in different ways. Cavour was a highly intellectual man, who orchestrated things from a political stand point ensuring good relations with countries like France, of which without the unification may never have succeeded. Garibaldi on the other hand was more of people’s person, a leader of men who was very direct and his actions such as the taking of Naples and Sicily allowed Italy to unite properly and

To unify a state, many components such as strategy, population willingness and cooperation are needed. All of those were crucial for the unification of Italy, but moreover it was the two men that have contributed the most; Count Camillo di Cavour and Giuseppe Garibaldi. They were completely different. Cavour was the leading strategic power behind the unification and Garibaldi was the national hero inspiring the masses. It cannot be denied that the success of the unification of Italy depended on both of them. Although Cavour was the leading figure in the Italian Unification, its completion would not have happened without Garibaldi’s assertive actions.

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.

3. In the mid-nineteenth century, Italy wasn’t unified. Italy was made up of independent states that nationalist wanted unified, but failed. Mazzini was “the most important nationalist leader in Europe and brought new fervor to the cause” (690). Mazzini desperately wanted Italy to be united and it finally was and became the Italian Republic. In 1860, the country shaped boot became a nation-state. After the war with Austria, “the forces of romantic republican nationalism compelled Cavour to pursue the complete unification of northern and southern Italy” (691).

The Italian Unification was a political and social movement where the different states of the Italian peninsula were to combine into a single Italy. The Italian Unification occurred close in time to the German Unification, which occurred only one year later. The Unification of Italy was a widely controversial topic discussed by many italian citizens and leaders during the 19th century. Many people destined for Italy to be unified as one country, a country that they considered to be stronger overall when compared to the individual countries, and would also create a new national identity and rid Italy of civil problems, like wars and revolutions that were occurring at the time. Others despised the ideas of Italian Unification, jumping ahead

Giolitti’s government was extremely unsuccessful in promoting political stability in Italy. It seemed that the Italian liberal state suffered from political divisions all over the country; this was something no other Liberal western power had experience in the years 1903 to 1914. However under the ‘political divisions’, Giolitti was trying to reform and modernise Italy during his periods in power as Prime Minister. Giolitti and his government attempted to broaden support for Liberalism by appealing to traditionally hostile groups such as the Catholics and the working-class, created a grand trasformismo (a key concept used to

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.

The Unification of Italy (1815-1871), is one of the most debatable periods of Italy’s modern history. The Risorgimento (in Italian) was the governmental movement of the Italian Peninsula that combined the different states of the Italian Peninsula into one governmental and cultural state known as the Kingdom of Italy. What sparked the beginning of the Italian unification movement was the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815), an assembly of ambassadors that’s purpose was to reform Europe, after the effects of the Napoleonic Wars. There were few attempts at making Italy fully unified. Due to their efforts towards unifying Italy, the three most important and influential leaders of the Italian Unification were Giuseppe Mazzini, Giuseppe Garibaldi,

Its is important to not that both unification processes require a lot of work and a confident leader. Although the Italian unification required a change in leadership, the motivation was still the same goal. Germany had Otto Bismark, Italy had Camillo Cavour. Bismark was know as “bloody iron”, his thought of unification were for survival, he included strong force to gain independence for

Therefore, Mussolini decides to call for an alliance of all Italian citizens over his Fascist government. Mussolini honestly believed that the Italian state was destined for excellence, and the only way to achieve such excellence was through the utmost social support under Fascism. Mussolini promoted a mass transformation of the Italian nation, centralization of government and formation of a nation in strength rather than land. Mussolini thought that a state’s control resulted from its citizens, who had to be well regulated, abundant, and reliable in order to thrive.

Primarily there were three approaches to the unification of Italy. First, Mazzini centralized the democratic republic based on the universal right and the will of the people. Second, Gioberti’s a catholic priest headed the federation of existing states, and third, Italian nations were built around the aristocratic kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont as german looked towards

In 1815, Italy as divides after the Congress of Vienna. Some provinces were still under Austrian rule such as Venetia and Lombardy. The Spanish Bourbon family ruled the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies while the Pope controlled the Papal States. Seeing the separation of states, Mazzini, Garibaldi, and Cavour made advancements towards unifying the country. Mazzini formed a nationalist group called Young Italy. He called for an end to foreign rule and the unification of Italy based on the common language and culture of the people. This movement was called the risorgimento. This plan failed and the former rules of Italian states drove Mazzini and other nationalist leaders into exile. Next came Garibaldi who was the leader of the Red Shirts. They were volunteers who followed Garibaldi in Southern Italy. This nationalist group was successful in gaining control of Sicily in 1860. He then crossed into the mainland and marched north. After Garibaldi took complete control of Southern Italy, the people voted to

”My goal, which was, I believe, shared by most italians at that time, was to unite the country and rid it of foreign powers. Those who gave Italy her freedom would earn her people’s gratitude” (Garibaldi, page 6). During the age of Italian unification, there were three men who fought for her (Italy’s) freedom. Those men were Cavour the brains, Mazzini the soul, and Garibaldi the sword (Chastain).