Italian Unification

Obstacles to UnificationFrequent warfare and foreign rule had led people to identify

with local regions

Austria, France, and independent Italian states were not unified

In response to this foreign rule, secret patriotic societies focused their efforts on expelling the Austrian forces from northern Italy These forces revolted between 1820-1848 and were crushed by

the Austrian forces

Italian Nationalism

In the 1830s, a nationalist leader, Giuseppe Mazzini founded “Young Italy” The goal of the society was to create an independent, republic of

Italy

The revolution had failed, but nationalism remained, why!? Nationalism reminded Italians of the glory of Rome Shared a common language and history Unification would end trade barriers and stimulate industry

Southern Italian Movements

The Italian nationalist movement, or Risorgimento, passed to the kingdom of Sardinia Victor Emmanuel II, the king of Sardinia, wanted to unify to

expand his power

In 1852, Victor Emmanuel II made Count Camillo Cavour his prime minister Wanted to end Austrian power in Italy and annex its provinces

In 1858, Cavour negotiated a secret deal with Napoleon to aid Sardinia in a war with Austria With the help of France, Sardinia defeated Austria and annexed

Lombardy Other nationalist provinces overthrew Austrian-backed rulers

and joined with the Sardinians

Garibaldi and the Two SiciliesGiuseppe Garibaldi, a long-time nationalist who

engineered the unification of Italy Garibaldi wanted to create an Italian republic and

accepted aid from Cavour

Garibaldi recruited a force of 1,000 red-shirted volunteers Cavour provided them arms and two ships to take

them south into Sicily Garibaldi’s “Red Shirts” quickly won control of

Sicily and went north into the rest of Italy

Unification! Garibaldi turned over Naples and Sicily to Victor

Emmanuel II In 1861 Victor Emmanuel II was crowned king of Italy

At unification, two areas remained outside of the new Italian nation: Rome and Venetia But not for long….

In a deal with Otto von Bismarck, Italy acquired Venetia after the Austro-Prussian War

During the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, France withdrew from Rome

For the first time since the fall of Rome, Italy was a united nation

Challenges for Italy Italy had no tradition of unity

Few Italians felt loyalty to the new nation

Regional rivalries remained

Hostility between Italy and Roman Catholic Church divided the nation Popes resented the seizure of the papal states and

Rome Papacy was left with a small territory of the

Vatican Popes encouraged the Italians not to cooperate

with the new government

Turmoil

Italy was a constitutional monarchy under Victor Emmanuel Set up a two-house legislature

In the late 1800s, social unrest increased as socialists organized strikes and anarchists turned to sabotage and violence Slowly, the government extended suffrage to more

men and passed laws to improve social conditions Turmoil continued Many people emigrated (left their homeland)

and went to the United States, Canada, and Latin America

ProgressDespite problems, Italy developed

economically in the Industrial Revolution

Although they lacked natural resources, industries sprouted up in the north

Industrialization brought urbanization Reformers improved education and working

conditions