Unification of Italy and Germany Y10 PDF

**[Unification of Italy]** Italy was left completely fragmented by the settlements reached at the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Italy in 1815 faced three obstacles to unity. The first was the Austrian occupation of Lombardy (Lombardi) and Venice in the north and northeast of the Italian peninsula....

**[Unification of Italy]** Italy was left completely fragmented by the settlements reached at the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Italy in 1815 faced three obstacles to unity. The first was the Austrian occupation of Lombardy (Lombardi) and Venice in the north and northeast of the Italian peninsula. The second was the Papal States, the principality under the sovereignty of the pope; the Papal States straddled the center of the peninsula, cutting the north off from the south. Often foreign powers, as for instance France in 1849, intervened to protect Papal independence. The third obstacle was formed by the existence of several independent states. On the French border was the Kingdom of Sardinia, also called Piedmont-Sardinia, which had slowly expanded since the middle Ages and was the most advanced state in Italy. The Kingdom of Sardinia consisted of the region called Piedmont in northwestern Italy and the island of Sardinia. The Kingdom of the two Sicilies occupied the southern half of the peninsula and the island of Sicily. Other small states were the duchies of Tuscany (Toscana), Parma, and Modena, all governed by relatives of the Habsburgs, the family that ruled Austria. In each of these states, the monarch exercised absolute powers of government. **[Leaders and the process of the unification movement of Italy ]** 1. **Giuseppe Mazzini** He had a vision for a united Italy. Mazzini viewed "Nation States" to be a necessary and opposed monarchy. He was a member of the Carbonari, a secret society of Italian unification formed to abolish foreign rules in Italy. In 1831, Mazzini founded a movement called "Young Italy" which attracted tens of thousands of Italians. He wanted a liberal democratic republic to govern a united Italy. Mazzini played a leading role in the 1848 Revolution. For a short period, he was a leader of a Roman republic proclaimed in the Papal States. But the French forces overthrew the republic established by Mazzini. 2. **Count Camillo di Cavour** In 1852, Cavour became prime minister of the independent Kingdom of Sardinia. He was an aristocrat and well-educated. He took part in the 1848 revolutions. He strengthened Piedmont by promoting industry, encouraging railroad building, improving agriculture, fostering education and enlarging the army. Cavour disliked absolutism and favoured the British type of parliamentary government. He wanted Italy to be both industrialized and united. He tried to reduce the influence of the Roman Catholic Church in politics. Since Austria was the greatest obstacle to Italian unity, Cavour searched for allies against Austria. In 1858, Cavour and Napoleon III made a secret agreement. Napoleon agreed to send troops to drive the Austrians out of Lombardy and Venetia if Austria declared war on Sardinia. For this favor, Cavour promised to give the regions of Nice and Savoy to France. 3. **Giuseppe Garibaldi** In southern Italy, Italian nationalists were led by Giuseppe Garibaldi. He led the Red Shirts, an army that wore bright red shirts into battle. They captured the island of Sicily and then crossed into the Italian mainland. They conquered Southern areas and agreed to unite with Piedmont-Sardinia in the north. He agreed to hand over power to Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia. In 1861, the kingdom of Italy was established, and King Victor Emmanuel II became its king. The new kingdom included every part of Italy except Venetia and the Papal States. The Unification of Italy was completed when these two regions became part of Italy. In 1866, following the defeat of Austria in the Seven Weeks War (war between Austria and Prussia), Italy got Venetia. When the Franco-Prussian war broke out in 1870, all of the French armies withdrew from Italy. Then, the Italians entered Rome and this finalized the unification of Italy in the same year; Rome was proclaimed the capital of the Kingdom of Italy. The Pope, however, continued to govern a section of Rome known as Vatican City. **Although Italy was politically united, many problems continued. These include:** Regional Division: Lack of stability as few thee Italians were experienced in self-government. The tension between the industrialized North and the agrarian South. Hostility between the Roman Catholic Church and the government. The government granted the papacy limited rights, and control over church properties. The formation of a secret society known as the Mafia, a kind of state within state, which the central government was powerless to control. **There were some developments after unification:** A standard form of the Italian language was introduced to help unify the people. Growth of industrialization and urbanization mainly in north Italy. Expansion of modern education. Creation of a strong national army.