What Was the Main Reason for Italian Unification

The president of the congress was the Austrian Chancellor Metternich, an extreme conservative who believed that everything should be kept the way it was, with the aristocracy in control and the rest of the population with little or no power. Metternich once described the area we know today as Italy, back then a disunited group of various states, as a ‘Geographical Expression’. At the time the disunited group of states were economically backwards compared to the rest of Europe, there was little trade between them and a slow developing industry.

Despite the disunity amongst the states there had been a growth in Nationalism brought on my French occupation of the states during the Napoleonic era and the Austrian domination of the two most northern states of Lombardy and Venetia. Out of this small growth in Nationalism came the first secret organizations like the Carbonari. The period between 1815 – 1848 is known as the Risorgimento or rebirth or resurgence in Italian. It was during this time the Carbonari existed, against their chief enemy, Austria. They were mostly made up of Doctors, Lawyers, and Teachers, the middle class.

However the middle class made up such a small fraction of the population, 90% of the population of the disunited states were peasants and Peasants had no interest in the Unification of the states, as it did not benefit them. In 1820 the resentment of the Congress of Vienna and a settlement that ad been reached with Austria over the Venetian people’s heads, spilled over into rebellion. However the rebellion was crushed by Metternich as part of the agreement that every nation would work together to ensure peace in Europe, this became known as the Metternich system.

In 1821 rebels in Turin attempted to take over and have a constitution granted. However Metternich again intervieened and the revolt was crushed as quickly as it had begun, Historians argue over the effectiveness of the Carbonari, GM Trevelyan wrote “Nationalism was growing by the early 19th century as evidenced by the secret organizations”. However the Carbonari were unorganised with no clearly defined aims and were only interested in a little bit of political control, the idea of unifying the states was of no interest to them if they did not get something out of it.

However the Carbonari did put the idea of Nationalism into people’s heads. Although the success of the rebellion led by the Carbonari was very limited it spread the feeling of Nationalism amongst the states, none of these actions were the main reason for Italian unification. The main reason for Italian unification was the military leadership of Giuseppe Garibaldi. Giuseppe Garibaldi was born in Nice in 1807. He became a ships boy at the age of 15 which led to him experiencing the world as the ship travelled around the globe from port to port. In 1832 he became a Merchant ship captain.

In 1833 Giuseppe Garibaldi came into contact with a secret organization that believed in unifying the states, called Young Italy. Giuseppe Mazzini had started Young Italy, and as young man had been in the Carbonari before had starting his own group, which, unlike the Carbonari, had clearly defined aims and was better organised. Garibaldi became greatly influenced by Mazzini’s ideas. In the same year he met Mazzini but they did not get on, their personalities differed immensely. Garibaldi travelled to South America and joined a recently started rebellion. Garibaldi joined in revolts in Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina.

It was in South America that he learned the technique of Guerrilla warfare from fighting alongside the rebels, a tactic that he would use later. In 1848 Garibaldi returned to Italy on the eve of what became known as the year of revolutions. Events in France generated unrest amongst the disunited states, which eventually boiled over. A revolt broke out in Milan against Austrian troops, Garibaldi arrived and took command of the army, the fighting was so bad that the Austrians retreated to the Quadrilateral from the growing Nationalist army made up of Soldiers and peasants led by Garibaldi pushed down towards Rome.

The trouble got so bad that the Pope fled from Rome and the Nationalist forces under Garibaldi set up a Roman Republic. Mazzini joined Garibaldi and wrote up a constitution. However the Pope begged for help from France and French troops were sent to recapture Rome. After several days fighting the French defeated the Nationalist forces and recaptured Rome, reinstating the Pope’s authority of the Papal States. However this incident became a step forward in the direction of eventual unification because not only had the Nationalist forces shown they could fight back but also that there was hope for democracy.

And Garibaldi became a national hero for his actions; he became the face of the now thriving Nationalist movement. The last steps towards Unification were less defined or clear. A string of events to claim the disunited states stretched over a period of several years. However Garibaldi was responsible each time for each success. The state of Piedmont – Sardinia had become the centre point of Nationalism. It was less economically backwards then the other states, more democratic and had better relations with its Neighbours. It was also not dominated by Italy or under the control of the Pope.

Under to the rule of Victor Emmanuel II the state had was superior to the other states, Victor Emmanuel II unlike his father before him believed and supported the idea of unification But the state of Piedmont – Sardinia was mainly down to the political genius and rule of the Prime Minister, Cavour. Cavour was a political mastermind who had revolutionized the state through promoting economic prosperity, modernising the state and promoting trade between Britain and France. However Cavour had a significant role in the last stages of unification.

Piedmont would need to acquire the other Italian states to have any hope of unifying Italy and it was through Cavour a Garibaldi that this was achieved. In July 1858, Cavour met with Napoleon III of France to discuss a plan to drive the Austrians out of Lombardy and Venetia and in doing so take the two states for Piedmont – Sardinia. Cavour set to work making anti Austrian speeches and eventually was set an ultimatum to which he ignored. Austria declared war on Piedmont and in doing so France declared war on Austria as planned. However the war was short and bloody despite Garibaldi’s leadership of the Piedmont’s forces.

Only two victories were one. Then suddenly Napoleon III signed the treaty of Villafranca with the Austrians. A deal was reached in which Piedmont – Sardinia would receive Lombardy but not Venetia. Unfortunately the towns of Nice and Savoy were handed over to France. However after the war Tuscany, Parma, Modena and Romagna demanded to join Sardinia. The plebiscites held showed and overwhelming vote to join and so Piedmont – Sardinia gained most of Northern Italy, almost entirely due to Cavour although Garibaldi played a small part in the war.

In 1860 Garibaldi and 1000 Volunteers set sail from Genoa. They planned to recapture Nice and Savoy with no thought for the consequences. Cavour panicked, realising the catastrophic consequences of attempting to start a war with France could have. However news from Sicily about a rebellions occurring led to Garibaldi changing course. Garibaldi arrived in Sicily and moved up through the state acquiring more recruits and people joined his growing army. Soon Sicily was in the hands of Garibaldi and entirely under his control. He then headed north, towards Rome.

This greatly worried Cavor and Victor Emmanuel II. If Garibaldi attacked the French troops in Rome, France would surely step in and crush Sardinia. The only way to counter this was for the Sardinian army to invade the remaining Papal States and meet Garibaldi halfway. In doing so Sardinia gained even more of the states bringing Unification a step closer. On the 27th of October Garibaldi and Victor Emmanuel II met in Teano where Garibaldi formally handed over all the land he had gained, this leaving Piedmont – Sardinia in control of every state Venetia and the city of Rome.

Only Garibaldi’s actions could have led to this achievement, if he had not conquered Sicily it is unlikely Sardinia ever would and Unification would have never been reached, However if it had not been for Cavour and Victor Emmanuel’s decision to meet Garibaldi halfway by invading the remaining Papal states that led to them joining the new unified state. Finally the only remaining Italian state was Venetia and the city of Rome. Venetia still occupied and dominated by Austrian forces and Rome still occupied by French troops.

Then suddenly in 1861 Cavour died taking his political genius with him. Piedmont – Sardinia could never replace him afterwards. He had been a genius and his contribution to unification vitally important. The final stages of unification were small events. Garibaldi attempted several more times to take Rome but never succeeded to the relief of Victor Emmanuel II who knew that attempting to take Rome would lead to a war with France who would not let it go unnoticed. In 1866 Austria was swallowed up and defeated by Prussia in a vicious war the new unified state of Italy took no part in.

This left Venetia in the hands of the new Italian state, only Rome remained. Then in 1870 Prussia defeated France and Rome fell to Italian hands, unifying Italy. Without Garibaldi’s military leadership though, nothing would have progressed in the direction of Italian unification. The Italian states were deeply divided only a small growth in Nationalism amongst them. After the Roman Republic and Garibaldi’s defeat of the Austrian forces from Milan the people had someone to believe in, a national hero, someone that could bring them together.

Without the Roman Republic and the year of revolutions it is unlikely that anything would have changed in the direction of unification. The Carbonari had put the idea of nationalism in people’s heads but not unifications and there failed rebellions and lack of clearly defined had led to little progress. Mazzini’s influence on Garibaldi was great but it did not influence Italian unification, as the end result was a kingdom and not a republic. Cavour played a huge role in the unification alongside Garibaldi.

His political genius had led to the modernisation of Sardinia and the gaining of several more Italian states, another step towards unification. Cavour was the thinker in the relationship he had with Garibaldi who was a man of action. Without Garibaldi’s military leadership however Sicily would have never been captured. Many of states were acquired due to Garibaldi’s military leadership supported by Cavour political genius. However the most important reason for Italian unification was Garibaldi’s military leadership because without it, the crucial steps towards Unification in the beginning would never have been achieved.