Nationalism Unifying Italy Obstacles to Italian Unity Though

Nationalism Unifying Italy

Obstacles to Italian Unity • Though the people of the Italian peninsula spoke the same language, they had not experienced political unity since the Roman Empire • By the early 1800 s, Italian patriots were determined to build a new, united Italy • Unification was brought about by a strong state and a shrewd politician—Count Camillo Cavour

Obstacles to Italian Unity • Italy had been a battleground foreign and local princes • Warfare and foreign rule led people to identify with local regions • The invasions of Napoleon sparked dreams of national unity • At the Congress of Vienna, Italian union was laughable and Austria took control of much of northern Italy while a French Bourbon ruler was put in charge of Naples and Sicily

Obstacles to Italian Unity • Nationalists organized secret patriotic societies and focused their efforts on expelling Austria from northern Italy • Between 1820 and 1848 nationalist revolts exploded across the region, but Austria troops were always sent in to crush the rebels

Mazzini Establishes Young Italy • In the 1830 s, nationalist leader Giuseppe Mazzini founded Young Italy • The goal of the society was to unify Italy into one free, independent nation • 1849: Mazzini helped set up a revolutionary government in Rome that was toppled by France • Mazzini spent much of his life in exile dreaming of a unified Italy

The Struggle for Italy • After 1848, leadership of the Italian nationalist movement passed to the Kingdom of Sardinia • Sardinia’s constitutional monarch, Victor Emmanuel II, hoped to join other states to his own increasing his power • In 1852, VE made Count Camillo Cavour his prime minister

The Struggle for Italy • Cavour came from a noble family but favored liberal goals • He was a crafty politician willing to use almost any means to achieve his goals • He was a monarchist who believed in the idea of Realpolitik

The Struggle for Italy • Cavour moved first to reform Sardinia’s economy • Improved agriculture, built railroads, encourage commerce by supporting free trade • His long-term goal was to end Austrian power in Italy

Intrigue With France • 1855: Sardinia joined Britain and France in the Crimean War against Russia • Though they did not win territory, they won a seat at the peace conference and gained the attention of Napoleon III • 1858: Cavour negotiated a secret deal with Napoleon III, who promised to aid Sardinia in a war against Austria

Intrigue With France • 1859: Cavour provoked a war with Austria • With help from France, Sardinia defeated the Austrians and annexed Lombardy • Nationalist groups overthrew Austrian-backed rulers in other northern Italian states who then joined with Sardinia

Garibaldi’s “Red Shirts” • In the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Giuseppe Garibaldi, a longtime nationalist and ally of Mazzini was ready to act for Italian unification • Though he wanted an Italian republic, he did not hesitate to accept help from the monarchist Cavour

Garibaldi’s “Red Shirts” • By 1860, Garibaldi was able to recruit a force of 1, 000 Red Shirt volunteers • Cavour provided weapons and allowed 2 ships to sail Garibaldi and his men south to Sicily • Garibaldi’s forces quickly won control of Sicily and crossed the mainland marching north to Naples

Unity at Last • Garibaldi’s success alarmed Cavour, who believed Garibaldi would set up his own republic, and urged VE to send Sardinian troops to defeat Garibaldi • The Sardinians overran the Papal States and joined up with Garibaldi in Naples

Unity at Last • Garibaldi turned over Naples and Sicily to Victor Emmanuel and in 1861 he was crowned king of Italy • Although Cavour died in 1861 with Rome and Venetia outside the new Italian nation, his successors completed his dream • Italy won Venetia in the Austro-Prussian War and gained Rome when the French were forced to withdraw, uniting Italy for the first time since the Roman Empire

Italy Faces Challenges • The united Italy faced challenges such as having no tradition of unity and strong regional rivalries that left Italy unable to solve national issues • Greatest regional differences were between the north and the south • North Italy was richer and had more cities that southern Italy

Italy Faces Challenges • Northern Italy was a center for business and culture while southern Italy was rural and poor • Though the south’s population boomed, its inhabitants struggled to maintain a meager existence • Hostilities between Italy and the Catholic Church arose due to papal resentment of the seizure of the Papal State • The government did allow papacy limited rights and control over church property, but popes saw themselves as prisoners

Italy Faces Challenges • Italy was a constitutional monarchy with a two house legislature • Members of the upper house selected by the king and had veto power over laws passed in the lower house • Lower house elected by the small number of men who held the right to vote

Italy Faces Challenges • In the late 1800 s, unrest increased as radical leftists struggled against a conservative government • Socialists conducted strikes while anarchists turned to sabotage and violence • Eventually, the government extended suffrage to more men and passed laws to improve social conditions • While unrest continued, the government set out to distract by extending the empire to Ethiopia

Economic Progress • Despite its problems, Italy developed economically • Though the nation lacked natural resources, in the north many industries still sprang up • Though the population was exploding, an important safety valve was emigration, and many Italians moved to the US