World History Chapter 10 Section 3

Unifying Italy

November 7, 2013Woodridge High School

Mr. Bellisario

Lesson Objectives

• List the key obstacles to Italian Unification• Understand what roles Count Camillo Cavour

and Guiseppe Garibadi played in the struggle for Italy.

• Describe the challenges that faced the new nation of Italy.

Italian Peninsula

• People of the Italian peninsula spoke the same language, but had not had political unity since Roman times.

Key obstacles to Italian unity

• People loyal to regions– Florence> Tuscans– Venice> Venetians– Naples> Neapolitans

Congress of Vienna

• Austria – most of northern Italy, nationalists tried to expel Austrians from northern Italy

• Hapsburg monarchs (Austrians) ruled other Italian states

• French Bourbon ruler in charge of Naples & Sicily

Giuseppe Mazzini

• Founded nationalist group, Young Italy, a secret society

• Nicknamed The Beating Heart of Italy

• Goal – free independent, united republican Italy

• 1849, set up revolutionary republic in Rome – put down by French forces

Italian Unity

• Count Camillo Cavour& Giuseppe Garibaldi work for Italian unity

• 1848, Risorgimento, Italian nationalist movement

• Created Kingdom of Sardinia with King Victor Emmanuel II

Changes under Victor Emmanuel II

• 1852 Victor Emmanuel II named Count Camillo Cavour as prime minister

• Much like Bismarck – crafty politician, believed in Realpolitik

• Reformed Sardinia’s economy– Improved agriculture– Built railroads– Encouraged commerce

through free trade

Crimean War

• 1855, joined Britain & France in Crimean War vs. Russia

Secret Agreement

• 1858, Cavour made a secret deal with Napoleon III– Napoleon III promised to

help Sardinia if Sardinia went to war with Austria

– With help from France, defeated Austria & annexed Lombardy

– Other Northern Italian states joined with Sardinia

Uniting the Kingdom of Two Sicilies

• Guiseppe Garibaldi was working to unite Kingdom of Two Sicilies with other Italian states– Accepted aide from

Cavour– 1860 Garibaldi had force

of 1000 Red Shirts– Won control of Sicily

quickly– Marched north to Naples

Unifying the rest of Italy • Cavour sent troops to stop

Garibaldi, troops joined Garibaldi & his Red Shirts – over ran the Papal States – 1861 Garabaldi turned over

Naples & Sicily to Victor Emmanuel II

– Victor Emmanuel II was crowned king of a united Italy

• 1861, Italy acquired Venetia after Austro-Prussian War

• 1870, Italy forced France from Rome, during Franco-Prussian War.

Challenges Faced by the new Italian Nation

• Italy had no tradition of unity– Regional differences – North – richer, & more cities; South – rural & poor

• Italy & Roman Catholic Church– Popes resented seizure of Papal States & Rome; relations were hostile– Urged Italian Catholics not to cooperate with government

• Late 1800’s– socialists organized strikes– Anarchists (people who want to abolish government) sabotage &

violence– Government slowly extended suffrage to more men & passed laws for

social reform

Economic reform in Italy

• Slow to develop industrially

• Lacked natural resources

• Population explosion – relieved through emigration (movement away from homeland) to U.S., Canada & Latin America