The Unification of Italy
Italy’s Glorious Pass, established the biggest infrastructure all over Europe because they established all of it.
Roman Empire falls → Dark Ages Begin
dw it wasn't actually a dark age cause emperor charlemagne made the holy roman empire (aint really roman)
renaissance (rebirth)
Big big navy up there in Italy
Separate city states, 11,000 traitors decided to reconquer Jerusalem.
crusades the europeans united to go attack muslims in the jerusalem
Fast forward to the Napoleonic Era!
it's all decided and led by mainly foreign powers (austria)
“Italy was now more of an art gallery and a museum… than a modern state.”
States of Italy:
King of Sardinia - Piedmont
The ‘strongest Italian state’ was the Kingdom of Sardinia (piedmont). Piedmont bought the tiny island down!
led by the house of savoy → name of their family **ONLY Kingdom ruled by an italian.
capital city of Turin (french and swiss borders)
Kingdom of Lombardy - Venetia
Lombardy ruled by the austrian empire for a long time, temporary occupied by french during Napoleon wars
then became two
Capital: milan
Central Duchies - Parma, Modena, Tuscany
middle dudes, weak
tied themselves with the austrians
Papal States
the pope (lowkey a political leader at the time, unlike modern day when they are only spiritual leaders) controlled the entire region of central Italy, he was a temporal and spiritual leaders
POPE PIUS VII
it got support from other catholic countries like France, austria, and spain
during the Napoleonic wars they became France
Kingdom of Naples
run by the bourbon dynasty (french and branch in spain) these are connected more to spain
All these states were dominated by foreign powers or aligned with foreign powers except for Kingdom of sardinia
Became united with the sicily “Kingdom of two Sicilies”
The biggest weakness of these Kingdoms was that they were all engaged in their own business and didn’t even think of coming together and uniting into a more powerful state.
“Italy is merely a geographical expression.” - Metternich → the people were really all speaking different languages and completely divided.
Napoleon conquered all of Italy, unifying it into three parts:
The French Empire (Piedmont, Central Duchies, Papal States) was taken over first as it was a coastal state, and it was directly connected to the French Empire.
Kingdom of Sardinia became the Kingdom of Italy, ruled by Napoleon himself
Kingdom of Naples was ruled by his brother
Impact of Napoleon’s Rules:
Introduction of new rights (Napoleonic code), civilian laws restructuring politically and socially
Helped reform, reduced power of the wealthy and church’s influence.
Napoleon conscripted 60k Italians for his small army, training local Italian officers and instilling discipline.
Gave Italy trained forces basically…
when nap goes away after 15 years, everything does too
Showed them the pathway to eliminate rulers they didn’t like → French rev inspo
Italian Nationalism
nationalism is only felt by the intellectuals (upper class), because they were given what they wanted by Italy vs. the 90% of peasantry who just wanted to survive.
all italians should live together and should be ruled by an italian
They wanted to unite because it was the only way to defeat austria
Congress of Vienna, (austria) 1815
set up by Metternich
the great powers decided that NAP has to be removed but we know this…
bonaparte are GONE (dw you ladies alright? - the congress of vienna)
Restored Monarchies
all the states went back to old monarchies and duchies by austria
The kings are then all loyal to austria since austria put them there → immediately nap’s reforms are removed and the countries become repressive and conservative.
These people who experienced a bunch of liberalism from Napoleon's rule are now HATING austria for doing allat…revolutionary ideas brewed in the minds of the intellectuals.
all the countries are like opp → where do we revolt? Who do we revolt against? Who will the rebels be heehee?
Italian Politics in 1815
you have people who are liberals (wanted a moderate reform, constitutional monarchies and wanted basic right) upper or middle class
radicals are extreme and going to use violence they want social equality (later becoming socialism)
nationalism that unites all of them
Austrian OPP
the biggest challenge thru all the diff politics was against the italians
they rejected rationalism because they had a bunch if
Klemens von Metternich (Austrian Congressman) this dude is really important
Sets up a highly conservative system– the congress system, which basically declared that they would DESTROY any revolution that threatened to begin.
Secret Societies the Carbonari
to stand up against the growing power of the churches, the growing kings, against EVERYONE which are become revolutionary
they want a constitutional monarchy not a republic NO UNIFICATION
moderate reforms pls! PLS! (they're going to spearhead the other guys)
Revolutions of 1820-21
Revolution in Naples
bourbon king ferdinand I limited reforms, increased powers of the church and angered the middle class
The italians had experienced a bunch of liberalism from Napoleon and were ultra angered about this step backward.
the Carbonari and liberal are supported by 100 junior officers and rebel seize town of Avellino
ferdinand agree to appoint a new government
Revolution in Sicily
very rural peasant peasant THE GODFATHER
the people rose up to challenge the bourbon/ferdinand the naples dudes, they aint like them they don't want that they call for independence
they chase the government from Sicily and he's gone
Congress of Troppau, 1820
A follow-up to the congress of vienna. Metternich set up a system where they had to hold
Metter was worried about revolution in Spain and southern Italy, and they called for all five great powers (Austria, prussia, russia, France, britain) to stop the revolution.
The France and britain did not frick with that because they were sick of the french rev already
Holy alliance (all christian): Austria (catholic), Prussia (protestant) and Russia (orthodox) decided to work like a superhero league and shut down revolutions everywhere…they believed revolutions were anti-christ.
Revolution of Naples and Sicily fail
Ferdinand decides to change his mind
Meets with metternich and asks for help to stuff the revolution.
Counter-revolutionary countries march in and imprison people, deport people, destroy things in an attempt to restore old order.
the people of Italy want a constitution…the two sides of Italy (naples and sicily) don’t hate ferdinand the same
Revolution of Piedmont (1820-1821)
revolutionary rise up from the carbonari, students, officers literally everyone
they seize a local town
The army refused to put down the revolutionary and the french rev repeated in this town.
the king abdicates (bye bye), his brother is like tweaking, his cousin jumps in and declares a new government bringing in liberal reforms
victor emmanuel's younger brother (charles felix) calls Metternich to bring troops and anyone who looked revolutionary would go to jail
3 separate revolutionary movements but all of them were closed by austria - Italy in trouble
Revolution of 1830
Up to this point, revolutions have all failed due to the divide within Italy. The revolutions are all too small and easily overthrown by the austrians.
The July Revolution in France, 1830
1824, King Louis XVIII died, replaced by younger brother Charles X who brings in ULTRA MEGA CONSTRICTIVE REFORMS and wants to bring back ancien regime…NO more enlightenment, church is ultra ruler.
The people immediately rise up.
cars armored trucks bring up and walk bro INSURRECTION and take over paris by setting up barricade
after 3 days, charles gets the hint and realizes bro they're going to kill him
People with power learned from the first french rev, that republic → lead to another reign of terror. They decided on a constitutional monarchy…but they were like “we aint got no king”
Lafayette COME BACK ERA…he tells them to get Duke of Orleans (Louis XVI cousin)
They put him in power, called the July/Orleans Monarchy
he reigns as King Louis Philippe II “the citizen king” because he was a supporter of the revolution like the early constitutional monarchy
italian revolutions in modena, parma, papal states (1821-32)
Italy is inspired by french revolution but not at all supported
The duchess of parma just gives up…the duke is pleading with metternich and metternich sends in the troops and revolution is crushed again because the french dgafed.
their main problem is not fighting TOGETHER, that they didn’t have a leader, the austrian’s are too strong (metternich is too determined).
The italians didn’t get it because the french rev was about the working class, but Italy was like 90% peasantry yet they didn’t even think of appealing to peasantry.
Italy’s “they don’t know i know this trick” key to successful revolution
1. Leader + Party to unite all of Italy
2. Strong ally/France → meaning France needs a revolution to overthrow the current government who dgafs.
Risorgimento (Resurgence/Rebirth):
The unification of Italy would be a heroic affair similar to the glories of the past.
Giuseppe Mazzini
Was a philosopher, studied law and medicine
founding father of italian nationalism, key figure of the ideas/philosophies behind italian nationalism.
born in genoa 1805
In 1827 joined Carbonari and was arrested many times, spent 40 years of his life in exile in France and britain.
he creates the new needed organization 1831 founded young Italy (giovane Italy)
Formed with the purpose of uniting Italy into a republic…radical movement
Young Italy
italians first truly republican movement
by 1833 50k members
goal was to inspire and educate italians about their sense of nationhood and to encourage the masses to rise up against the conservative regime
“without unity there is not truly a nation since without unity there is no strength”
metternich declared Mazzini ‘the most dangerous man in Europe’
HIS BELIEFS
we need unification from below, unite the people not from a king bro
but it happens oppositely from a king (not his idea tho)
He opposes the idea of a federal government, a government made of different parts.
He wanted a central government, we need a republic, individual rights, an end to poverty, women’s rights, taxation in proportion to wealth, free and compulsory education.
He declared that we needed a state “for our people, by our people” and he only wanted ONE ethnic group in Italy. He saw the germans, russians and austrians that were divided ethnically ruled by other ethnic groups, and he wanted to prevent civil conflict that could rise from all these different ethnicities.
This was lowkey hitler and mussolini vibes
MAZZINI’S SIGNIFICANCE
he gave tremendous impetus ot italian nationals and no else campaigned for so long and so tirelessly to unify Italy” - robert pearce
most of the his work involved creating propaganda campaigns to convince italians to create a democratic self-governing Italy
one of his most important recruits to young Italy is GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI he supported his plan to revolt in Genoa in 1831
in his absence Garibaldi was sentenced to death
Garibaldi about Mazzini “he alone was awake when all around were slumbering’
Mazzini became president of rome in 1849
MAZZINI’S SHORTCOMINGS
he was to intellectual for people to understand
he was to radical the middle class didn't understand
Absent from Italy for 40 years on and off - some argued he became out of touch, exaggerating the national identity among Italians
He failed to recognize the revolutionary potential of the peasants - he demonstrated little interest in them
The Revolutions of 1848
France, 1848
the working class is calling for socialism and redistribution of wealth
Louis Philippe was the one facing for this calls
February Revolution 1848
Starts on February 21, it lasts 3 days, starting in the working class corners of Paris
in the cities they are making furniture barricades in paris to block the narrow roads
the national army comes in with guns, but don't worry the civilians also got em glocks
the national guard refused to intervene
20 protestors kills outside the house of French prime minister riots ensured
February 24th: after 3 days louis philippe gives up and abdicates
A republic declared on Feb 25 , 1848 !
Birth of the second republic
The ‘June Days’ 1848
the constituent assembly: ONE JOB TO WRITE A CONSTITUTION
the problem is this is elected by leaders (liberals)
the working class storms the assembly before they make a constitution (a socialist revolution within the revolution)
the national guard backs the old assembly and there is WARFARE in the streets…tens of thousands of working class men are killed by liberal, rich men + the national guard.
A period of class warfare where socialism is fighting liberalism, and red flags are held in the streets – liberalism wins by use of force.
Second French Republic
electing a president, since 1789 (absolute king, constitutional monarch, convention as a republic, reign of terror by robespierre, directory, consulate with consuls, Napoleon → emperor, restoration of constitutional monarch in 1815 refusing to reforms leading to july days and now we are here.)
we have socialism a real force first time
Socialism: type of government system insisting on equality of all classes → no classes.
Egalitarianism: the doctrine that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities.
Communism: ultimate level of socialism which gets rid of democracy.
Karl Marx + other European leaders were already brewing these ideas.
“The June Days sent a shudder throughout France and Europe… It was widely understood that a class war had in fact broken out. Militant workers were confirmed in a hatred of the bourgeois class and in a belief that capitalism ultimately survived by shooting working-class men and women in the streets.” - Palmer and Colton
martial law was proclaimed and power was given to the regular army
10,000 people killed or wounded
110,000 insurgents imprisoned or deported
general Cavaignac and the army ran a virtual dictatorship
constituent assembly created new constitution
universal male suffrage would elect a president
Austria: The March Days, 1848
[German] Students and workers in vienna rose in insurrection
Students tend to be idealistic
Vienna is the center of counter-revolution, the home of the holy alliance, yet the government topples!!
Metternich allegedly dressed as a woman and fled vienna
Austria also controlled many territories which also seized the opportunity to rise up: “germany”, hungary, poland, slav states, bohemia, Italy
The Germans were flying a tri-colored flag which was a lowkey rip off of the French flag. This is the birth of german revolution and unification lol.
Italian uprisings spread against Austrian rule, leading to the first war of Italian independence.
Prussia promised a constitution
The Germans were calling for an all-German national assembly
Austria turning of the tide
a month later the revolution fails
now hungary crack down
russia comes for help, sending 100k troops to counter the hungarian revolution
ferdinand (austria emperor) agreed to sign the constitution and now this guy gotta leave cause too many reforms happen
Franz Joseph Emperor ferdinand son comes in
Italian Revolutions of 1848-49
first place to revolt sicily (I WANT OUT I HATE NAPLES)
They declare themselves independent from naples, and naples sent in an army which the sicilians fought off
This was not a moment of national unity, Sicily was filled with separatists.
Ferdinand gets ultra banned from kingness
revolution crushed
literally we do this again the people of naples (napolitains) army finally keeps bombing sisicoles
they have complete control of naples
REVOLUTION in central and northern Italy
Tuscany piedmont and the papal states were all granted constitutions because the revolution was too real in these states, and metternich/austria had fallen and couldn’t be relied on to stuff out revolution.
Modena and Parma rulers fled for their lives!!! Local revolutionaries take power
Revolutions pop up allllll around Italy in 1848 and they are ALL SUCCESSFUL.
Lombardy, capital milan, and binizio, capital venice,
in this revolution the Austrian army flees in the north of Italy…
where the austrians dominate they now leave
Italian unification is coming…
piedmont king charles albert declared WAR on AUSTRIA, first war of italian independence
big deal because piedmont is the strongest italian state and they owe nothing to austria
THE POPE PIUS IX
believed to be weak minded, he was basically just listen to the last argument he heard
hes liberal because they literally told him he is
but then he denies it, but they literally told him to say that
they kill his minister
MAZZINI
the austrian forces returned to north Italy and defeated the army of Piedmont forcing them to withdraw from Lombardy
Mazzinni declared the war of the princes against austria had failed it was now time for the war of people
Mazzini’s Roman Republic
No connection to monarchy.HUZZAH REPUBLIC
He brings back liberal reforms like tax to help the poor people, no
He finally calls for italian unification and pius panics he’s like “nuuu i need my land! >-<” he turns to austria and spain for help, but theyre both busy.
Pius must turn to France…the last catholic state.
France sends 20k troops to crush mazzini’s stuff and return rome to the Pope. these troops remain in occupation of the city until 1870.
End of the First War of Italian Independence.
King Charles Albert fought one last epic battle where austrian troops defeated piedmont at the battle of novara…he abdicated for his son victor emmanuel II (hes everywhere hint…),
Venetian Republic and Lombardy again under direct Austrian rule
city by city the austrian are back and the the revolutions are done
bro history repeats
France from Second Republic to Empire
Napoleon III 1851-52
louis launched a coup against the assembly which was dissolved
was elected president but then become an emperor
deleting the 2nd France republic to make the 2nd french empire
Crimean War 1854-56
1853 Tsar Nicholas I claimed to defend Christians in Moldavia and Wallachia from Ottoman persecution
Russia asks for greater control over the strategic Black Sea and is straits
the british and France were not pleased with the upsetting of the balkans because then if they get the straits, the russian fleet will be in the mediterranean were the british and France lead
Allied response
France and britain sought to protect their colonial interest in the middle east from russian encroachment
piedmont allied with the western powers hoping to gain leverage internationally
prussia declared neutrality to avoid conflict with russian and its eastern border
austria joined the alliance late to occupy wallachia
alexandr the I controls poland. Now think of this so prussia is in the middle of russia and austria, the poles are stuck in between two powers
congress of vienna splits europe. AUSTRIA BETRAYS RUSSIA AND THE HOLY ALLIANCE IS GONE FOR EVER
Fighting on the crimean Peninsula
war centers on the crimean peninsula in russia
neither sides wins a great advantage just AWFUL
the british are outnumbered by russian calvary. british horseback is going to attack russia artillery. russia has artillery to portect the horses
tsar nicholas I died in 1855 heir alexander II ended the war
FIRST WAR EVER TO BE PHOTOGRAPHED
Congress of Paris, 1856
Neither side is winning, british and french can’t win and the russians can’t kick them off the peninsula
czar nicholas II dies, his son (alex the II) takes over and declares they must end the war.
They hold the congress and piedmont is invited (boomshakalaka) wallachia and romania march into romania.
Romania and Serbia are recognized as principalities.
serbia is losing ottoman empire and everything and they are declining
russia is severely weakened
impact of crimean war
Austria is also weakened.
1) they fought in the war and wasted men and resources.
2) they failed the holy alliance and lost their place as an epic member of the European um dominant alphas.
key defining moment: NO CLEAR WINNER YET SPLITS EUROPE ALSO THE RUSSIANS LOSE.
removes russia from europe: new europe is determined between western powers (France and britain) and the eastern (austria, germany and prussia).
Italy and the Second War of Independence
Napoleon and Italy
In 1830, Louis Napoleon was involved in a plot to capture the pope's castle.
1849, sent french troops to defeat mazzini’s roman republic. He always planned to do something for Italy
he was seen as a dreamer because he wanted to fix nationalism all of europe trying to follow in steps of his uncle NAP 1
Piedmont
they have a royal family house of savoy, long history of being a strong independent state no austria rule no bourbons
Italian unification revolves around piedmont
Legacy of being conquered by France several times, and they ended up adopting a bunch of basic french revolutionist ideals.
Post Napoleon– they had a strong military and absolute monarchy.
They were much more modernized and prepared to lead the unification for Italy. The rest of Italy was lowkey backward and sucked.
Charles Albert - Victor Emmaneul II
charles albert abdicated after 1849 defeat to austrians and is broken man
charles albert said “Italy will make herself” but it actually fails
his son steps over him, victor emmanuel II
Camille di Cavour
victor emmanuel II appoints count Camille di Cavour
very confident minister, built a trillion railroads, 300% economic domination
seemed to favor unification of northern Italy around piedmont no clear plans for unifying the entire peninsula
"The core of Cavour’s policy was not unification but freedom from Austria, coupled with the development under Piedmontese sovereignty of free institutions in those parts of Italy which were fitted for them."l
his strengths: he's a practitioner of real politics, he gets things done! political pragmatist
Giuseppe Garibaldi
born in Nice in 1806
inspired by Mazzini and joined young Italy 1831
he is the anti-cavour, he ain't no nobleman, romantic crazy revolutionary
his life cray cray very popular with the huzzs
he was arrested in a plot to kill him but before his death sentence is issued he goes to south america flees
his guerilla wore red shirts and that was his group in uruguay against the argentinians
hes called back to Italy in 1848 because the revolutions come out
mazzini’s roman republic, he becomes the leader of the ragtag force of roman republic
After 100 days the republic is being attacked by everyone! but reminder France defeats the republic
He is voted as a dictator
Ummmm he lowkey flees the next day with all his forces though…..
Garibaldi goes to the piazza of the st. peter’s basilica and declares to his followers that they should follow him even though he says “I have nothing but pain and thirst and hunger and death” and 5000 people go.
Him and the people are desperately chased to the coast by french troops. His wife of 10 years died. This is an 800 km death march.
He goes to the US as a traitor and becomes a spaghetti salesman at one point.
He sails from the US to China and they want to arrest him again!
He eventually returns to a small island right by sardinia. He buys a farm on Carreira, and by the late 1850s, he’s called back once again.
The national society wants him back to finally unite Italy, it was being held in piedmont under cavour and victor emmanuel.
Victor emmanuel was somehow successful in getting both the men to be loyal to him lol (i think they had a threesome)
Garibaldi and Cavour Lowkey didn’t like each other though.
Garibaldi was doing everything for Italy, wanting the entire Italian peninsula to be united.
Cavour only wants northern Italy to be united (the only realistic vision). He thinks Garibaldi is a republican who can’t be trusted.
Napoleon and Cavour at Plombieres, 1858
Napoleon and Cavour meet secretly
Napoleon wanted to help the people by sending french troops into Lombardy and Venetia and kick out the asutrias
the italian in Napoleon will be unified in Italy
Nice and savoy will be given in return for Lombardy and Venetia to the french
italians will rule italians
France aims to control Italian growth
The war of 1859
France to support italians and defeat austrains
France would hand lombardy and venetia to Italy
Cavour gets cold feet and calls for the mobilization of the piedmont army
austrains get scared and they mobilize in lombardy
Victor Emmanuel gives a speech where he talks about Italian independence and that he didnt wanna be the president…
the austrians considered a declaration of war and then declared war themselves
France sent troops and defeated the austrians
massacres in lombardy and question why are we doing this
NAP III loses his stomach for war, behind Cavour’s back he meets with Franz Joseph
Peace at Villafranca 1859
Napoleon III says “let's end the war” and lowkey betrays Cavour . They let the Austrians keep venetia but Austria hands Lombardy to France who gives it to piedmont. They only get half the promised land.
Cavour goes to victor and says “we must fight without the french” but victor is like “bro we barely won with the french we aint doing that” so cavour quits.
Parma, Modena, Tuscany and ___ all vote to join into piedmont. Cavour sees this and is like “oh ig i can come back” and he comes back as prime minister. To win over terms with Napoleon III, they gave nice and savoy to France. They are on good terms.
Garibaldi is gonna crash out. He finds out his homeland, Nice, was given away and reraises his guerilla fighters and plans for the invasion of Nice to fight off french troops.
Nooo massive revolution in the Kingdom of two sicilies. So then Garibaldi says “hee hee this is my chance to join the north with the south” and they hop on a boat and join the revolution.
Sicilian Expedition
Cavour declares that unification should lowkey stopped now because there were international obstacles in the way of further unification. He thought further unification would be impossible due to austria’s rule of venetia and France’s protection of rome
Garibaldi, however, believed in the impossible. He thought that unification should start in Italy through southern revolutions since diplomacy had made it impossible from the north.
He pulls together 1200 men called the “The Thousand” to Sicily where the revolution is taking place (twice before they’ve kicked out the Naples army but got stopped by the army once more).
This time, Garibaldi’s men showed up to help in the revolutions.
Garbali led 3000 red shirts against 20000 enemies in palermo. Local uprisings by the peasants were supported by the men. The army flees.
Garibaldi was declared a “dictator” of sicily. He began with liberal reforms, but changed his focus to law and order and support from landowners.
Cavour was especially against garibaldi. Garibaldi’s plan was to leave Sicily and attack Naples, but Cavour ordered the navy of Piedmont to go to the straits of Messina and block garibaldi.
The king of two Sicilies literally flees and garibaldi now dictates Sicily and naples…his next move is to take rome/papal states.
If Garibaldi does this, France will come to protect Rome through Piedmont which will undo all of Cavour's work.
Cavour cockblocks garibaldi by GETTING ROME FIRST. They make their way through the papal states to cut off garibaldi through the north. King victor emmanuel II led the piedmont army through the zone, any citizen that tries to stop them is executed and declared a traitor.
This time, garibaldi had 60000 men, including mazziniana who mainly wanted a republic.
Cavour was deathly fearful of Rome becoming the capital of a new, republican southern Italy. Then, Italy would become divided by war into northern and southern Italy. The north might also start wanting a republic.
Now, Garibaldi's army is about to face off with the king and his epicer army rather than his ragtag army. Garibaldi surrenders…he violated mazzini!! He accidentally violated mazzini and became a follower of victor emmanuel II and he gives up sicily and naples like a good boy :3
Victor was a nice republican man who inspired the loyalty of garibaldi and cavour
Cavour's moves on the south were anti-revolutionary
The Kingdom of Italy
Plebiscites were held in Sicily, Naples, umbria and papal marshes. The people voted overwhelmingly in favour of union with piedmont.
Likely they didn't know what they were voting for, they were more so agreeing to a grant of all the things they had been fighting for during the revolutionary times.
Italia irredenta
“Unredeemed Italy”
The goal was to unite all Italians under one state. All of Italy was now united, except for rome (french troops) and venetia (austrian troops)
Garibaldi retires to caprera
Refused commendations from VE II and retired to the island of caprera
Jokes he's back…he’s DETERMINED to get Rome this time. He gets to Sicily, Naples and heads north for rome.
The Piedmontese army planned to march through Rome to intercept garibaldi forces in northern naples.
France refused to give the army access
Garibaldi is shot and put on house arrest…
JOKES HE'S BACK — 1865, Kingdom of Italy moved its capital from turn to florence, tuscany (to be more central)
French troops agree to withdraw their troops from rome…score…
Garibaldi escaped house arrest?? With plans to capture Rome and abolish the pope.
French troops returned to Rome and easily defeated garibaldi’s forces.
Now the French troops stay in rome.
Overall: the map of Italy might have been united but the people weren’t.