Like Germany, Italy too had a long history of political fragmentation. Italians were scattered
over several dynastic states as well as the multi-national Habsburg Empire. During the
middle of the nineteenth century. Italy was divided into seven states, of which only one,
Sardinia-Piedmont was ruled by an Italian princely house. The north was under Austrian
Habsburgs, the centre was ruled by the Pope and the southern regions were under the
domination of the Bourbon kings of Spain. Even the Italian language had not acquired one
common form and still had many regional and local variations.
a) Which Italian state was ruled by an Italian princely house before its unification?
b) Who described Giuseppe Mazzini as ‘the most dangerous enemy of our social order’
c) Discuss his role for Italy unification.
d) Discuss the role of Karol Kurpinski in keeping alive nationalist feelings?
Answers
Answer:
a)Sardinia-Piedmont was ruled by an Italian princely house. The north was under Austrian.
b)Metternich described Mazzini as 'the most dangerous enemy of our social order' because of the following reasons: 1. Mazzini's vision of a democratic republic frightened the conservatives.
c)(i) Giuseppe Mazzini was an Italian revolutionary, born in Genoa in 1807. (ii) He became member of various secret societies such as 'Young Italy' or 'Young Europe'. (iii) He attempted revolution in Liguria. (iv) He wanted unification with wider alliance of nations.
d)Karol Kurpinski celebrated the national struggle through his operas and music, turning folk dance like the Polonaise and Mazurka into nationalist symbols. ... The use of Polish came to be seen as a symbol of the struggle against Russian dominance.