process of unification of Italy
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For many centuries, the Italian peninsula was a politically fragmented conglomeration of states. This was the case when the United States announced its independence from Great Britain in 1776. When war broke out between Austria and the Revolutionary French Government in 1792, the French invaded the Italian peninsula, consolidated many of the Italian states, and established them as republics. In 1799 the Austrian and Russian armies pushed the French out of the Italian peninsula, which led to the demise of the fledgling republics.
After Napoleon’s rise to power, the Italian peninsula was once again conquered by the French. Under Napoleon, the peninsula was divided into three entities: the northern parts which were annexed to the French Empire (Piedmont, Liguria, Parma, Piacenza, Tuscany, and Rome), the newly created Kingdom of Italy (Lombardy, Venice, Reggio, Modena, Romagna, and the Marshes) ruled by Napoleon himself, and the Kingdom of Naples, which was first ruled by Napoleon’s brother Joseph Bonaparte, but then passed to Napoleon’s brother-in-law Joachim Murat.
The period of French invasion and occupation was important in many ways. It introduced revolutionary ideas about government and society, resulting in an overthrow of the old established ruling orders and the destruction of the last vestiges of feudalism. The ideals of freedom and equality were very influential. Also of consequence, the concept of nationalism was introduced, thus sowing the seeds of Italian nationalism throughout most parts of the northern and central Italian peninsula.
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Unification Of Italy
Like Germany, Italy has a long history of political fragmentation.
During the middle of the 19th century, Italy was divided into seven states of which only one state(Sardinia-Piedmont) was ruled by an Italian princely house.
The main leaders of unification process are these three revolutionaries: 1) Giuseppe Mazzini, 2) Count de Cavour and 3) Giuseppe Garibaldi.
→In Italy,
• The north part was ruled by Austrian Habsburg.
• Middle part was under Pope.
• And the Southern part was ruled by Bourbon Dynasty.
→ Later, Giuseppe Mazzini subsequently found two secret societies, Young Italy and Young Europe.
→ With the failure of revolutionaries, the responsibility fell on Sardinia Piedmont under its ruler King Victor Emmanuel-2 to unify the Italian states through war.
→ At the end, Austrian Habsburg were defeated by Cavour with the help of France.
→ Bourbon Dynasty were defeated by the Giuseppe Garibaldi with the support of Peasants.
Hence, Strong nationalist cultural movements and economic development are factors which prepare the ground for Italian unification.