The Risorgimento and the Unification of Italy - PowerPoint Presentation

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The Risorgimento and the Unification of Italy

1850- 1861Slide2
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Piedmont-Sardinia and Cavour

Kingdom of Piedmont remained as the only independent state after 1848: entered a time of moderate reform

King Victor Emanuel II- constitutional monarch of a stable, independent state (would become the first King of Italy in 1860)

Buffer state (however was forced to pay Austria a punishment)

1852

Camillo

di

Cavour became Prime Minister- head of a government of middle class politicians- his goal: MODERNIZE PiedmontSlide4

Cavour

Great Britain was his example

Industrial might allowed for freedom of foreign affairs, dependent on no other

Cavour, in his own mind wished for Piedmont to be a leading unification state- needed to industrialize firstSlide5

Cavour’s initiatives

Expansion of international trade- trade agreements with many European states- independent

Railway construction increased drastically

Textile industries- silk, cotton and

woollens

- thrived

All of the modernization of the economy and infrastructure came from Cavour providing government subsidies

Shortage of coal and iron- key for industry

Cavour was a classical liberal, spent his youth travelling western Europe and BritainSlide6

“I have discovered the art of deceiving diplomats. I tell them the truth and they never believe me”

-

Camillo

di

CavourSlide7

Cavour and Liberalism

Cavour seems the classic liberal in the British mould- however on closer examination this may not be so…

He increased military reform and spending (not liberal)

Cavour never let the constitution hinder his actions- he used parliament when it suited him and used the monarchy when it suited him

Ruled through executive order often and sought parliament support for actions after he already did them…

Similar to who…Slide8

Cavour and Liberalism

Piedmont’s electorate was 2% of the population

He was in

favour

of unimpeded free market principles, however he wasn’t against the use of government subsidies to drive the economy where he wanted it to go

A free press is a hallmark of liberalism- he did not hesitate in censoring the press often (including Mazzini’s)Slide9
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The Crimean War

For the first time since 1815 the Great Powers would go to war…in Russia

The Crimean War broke the log jam created by the Congress of Vienna and maintained by Metternich- it opened up Europe for reform

It would be this war that has the most profound impact on both the unification of Italy and GermanySlide11

The Crimean War

“politics hates a vacuum”- The Ottoman Empire had been in decline for decades, creating a power vacuum in Asia Minor

The Ottoman’s controlled the key maritime route between central Europe and the Mediterranean- the Dardanelles and the

Bosphorus

strait

Multiple Turkish- Russo wars since the 1700’s over the control of this sea access

As the Sultan’s power receded, Tsar Nicholas I hoped to gain what for generations had eluded the Romanovs- access to the

mediterraneanSlide12

The Crimean War

July 1853 Russian forces occupy the

Danubian

principalities

Ottoman Empire declares warSlide13

The Crimean War

France- interest in the Middle East, fear of Russian power in the region

Britain opposed any access to the Mediterranean of the Russian fleet

Therefore for their own interests, France and Britain supported the Turks in this war- moving both their fleets to the Black sea

Late 1853 France and Britain declare war on Russia

Weird problem here- no common border for the combatants- war would erupt on the Crimean Peninsula in 1854 as British and French troops landedSlide14
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Piedmont and the Crimean War

Austria had seen itself as the grand master of Central Europe- she pursued the only course of action she had- neutrality

When Russia evacuates the

Danubian

Principalities, Austria is more than happy to occupy them

The neutrality by Austria led to very little power in the peace settlement after- and it is this point that leads to the process of unifying Italy under PiedmontSlide19

Piedmont and the Crimean War

Cavour was very forward thinking- saw the potential that the war in Crimea offered

Backing of the major powers was needed if Piedmont was going to unite othe

r Italian states

Cavour calculated participation in the peace settlement that would occur after the war could allow for a ‘pitch’ to unite Italy or at least the right to some of the spoils of war

He would be wrong…Piedmont saw only minor action in the war and was not given any respect toward Italian lands (after the war, French troops occupied Rome for protection, not Piedmont’s)Slide20

Piedmont and the Crimean War

Nevertheless, the Crimean War altered Austria’s position in Europe

It allowed for foreign nations to determine issues on Austria’s borders and proved itself militarily weak in the face of Russia

Cavour was at the table at the Congress of Paris and now had a war tested army

Both Cavour and Napoleon III saw a new opportunity in EuropeSlide21
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The War of 1859

France seemed the best bet as a supporter to Italian Unification

Napoleon III had already expressed himself as pushing for a more modern Europe against the old conservative version created at Vienna

Cavour and Napoleon seemed to be on the same page- however Cavour was anti-clerical and Napoleon saw himself as the protector of the Pope

Regardless, Cavour and Napoleon met secretly at

Plombieres

- alliance was made and a plan for the ensuing war with Austria

The plan was to provoke war Slide23

War of 1859

Read the handouts- understand how the war started, its process and its outcomeSlide24

After 1860

The first phase of Unification was major success for Cavour- war, and European interest was of vital importance to nation building

After 1860 Cavour was set on Venetia- events in Sicily overtook him

Once again local, class based concerns were the cause of the Sicilian revolts- Cavour stepped back, Garibaldi stepped in

Cavour could not support the radicals led by Garibaldi, nor could you just give Garibaldi a free hand in the south…hmm…Slide25

1860

Cavour feared Austria intervening in the south- Cavour did not interfere when Garibaldi conquered the Kingdom of Naples in

S

ept. 1860

Cavour feared Garibaldi’s position- he now only had the Papal States and their pathetic army and Rome, with France’s troops- Garibaldi was in a good position- maybe he would unite Italy

Cavour acted- he invaded the Papal States- assuring Napoleon he was doing it to stop the radical Garibaldi

Piedmont and Garibaldi’s army met a the northern border of Naples- a very real prospect of warSlide26

The Unification of Italy

Garibaldi made an unexpected move (either genius, desperate or logical)

He gave the Kingdom of Naples and the island of Sicily over to the king of Piedmont- Victor Emanuel (confirmed by plebiscite)

The Kingdom of Italy was born

Italia

Irredenta

(unredeemed Italy)- Rome and VenetiaSlide27
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Problems after Unification

With unification comes mundane issues- taxes, infrastructure, constitutional questions…and the death of Cavour

1861 Cavour dies with no other statesmen of his ability- a series of terrible administrations existed over the next five years

Unification brought debt- each of the states was poor to begin with and Piedmont had bankrolled its unification movement with foreign debtsSlide31

Problems after Unification

Italy adopted a centralized structure- ignoring the localized nature of Italy

A centralized government had to harmonize language, taxes, weights and measures, currency, legal codes etc…

This was very unpopular in the south- remember they fought for Garibaldi- a republican

A series of civil wars erupted in the south- sapping the new country’s economy and her sense of national unitySlide32

Problems after Unification

Rome and Venetia could not be unified with in Italy with diplomacy- war was needed

1864- 1866 Prussia and Austria drifted toward war- the PM of Italy, La Marmora turned to Prussia and offered support (Bismarck liked that idea)

Prussia was victorious over Austria and in return for their support, Prussia gave Venetia to Italy

In 1870 France recalled its troops from Rome to fight against the Prussians- Italy occupies RomeSlide33

Italy Unified

Occupying Rome was only part of the problem- how to deal with sensitivity toward the Pope

Pius IX had turned against reform (remember?)- Italy agreed to give sovereignty of Vatican City and paid him a yearly allowance and allowed for the maintenance of Education throughout Italy

(*Rome would not recognize Italy as a state until 1929)Slide34

Italy Unified and full of problems

Southern resentment

Politics dominated by Northern Italians

Inefficient and backward economy of the south

Industry was focused in the north

Southern reluctance to reform in land ownership and agriculture

Victor Emanuel II was of the house of Savoy and had taken the throne of Italy- resentment in many areas

Loyalty to the new country ran a distance third or fourth to most Italians

Inadequate communication and transportation

Italia

Irredenta

claimed more places then just Rome and Venetia- there were a lot of Italian speaking lands left out of the unionSlide35

Italian Unification: An Assessment

Italian Unification was an expression of Nationalism that was growing across Europe in the mid 19

th

century. Unification was the culmination of this growing nationalism

Italy was ultimately accomplished as a result of the political machinations of men like Cavour,

Emmanual

and Garibaldi. Italian unification was a product of political agendas and rivalriesSlide36

Italian Unification: An Assessment

Italian unification was primarily the result of long term economic and social factors including growing industrialism and trade. Middle-class elites guided unification to entrench their political and economic position

Unification was a result of growing liberalism that has been developing in the various territories of the Italian peninsula since the early 19

th

century. A united Italy was one of a number of possible outcomes of

this development