To what extent can the process of Italian unification be explained in terms of the rise of nationalism?
Jani Helle
25.11.03
To what extent can the process of Italian unification be explained in terms of the rise of nationalism?
Nationalism can be defined as having a sense of belonging and loyalty to ones country or nation state. Within Europe, the idea of nationalism was first sported by France, a concept that would later one influence many countries in Europe. One result that nationalism had on Europe was the wanting of unification. The idea was that the people of nation states wanted their own country, one to be shared with other Germans or Italians or Slavs, people with the same nationalistic feel about their land and nation.
Italian nationalism roots from 1797 when Napoleon conquered the Italian peninsula and created the puppet Kingdom of Italy. During his European conquests, Napoleon combined the smaller Italian city-states into larger units to make his rule more efficient. Opposition to him as a foreign ruler was the clincher in creating the concept and reality of Italian nationalism. In the 1830s this nationalism expanded, for the same reasons as it had bloomed several decades earlier. This time the object of resentment wasn’t Napoleon or France, but the oppressive Austrian rule and domination and felt that the only way to progress was to become united. The concept of unification derived from the Risorgimento, the process of Italian unification. In the middle of the 19th century the Risorgimento took shape as a political and cultural movement for Italian unification, led by the increasing nationalist feelings at the time, after having already picked up wind from the dissatisfaction with the re-establishment of many of the old monarchies after the Vienna settlement of 1815. The theory of The Risorgimento was that it was the cultural, social and political rebirth of Italy, and there were many people and growing political groups who supported this idea that Italy needed to reform in all of these aspects, especially politically.
However, although Italians generally agreed that unification was needed for Italy to progress there were many differences in how it should come about between different nationalist groups, namely those of the Republicans, the monarchists and the nationalists. The Republicans wanted the abolition of the monarchies in favour of republican or democratic institutions. The monarchists wanted to lead a revolt against the Austrians and set up a Northern kingdom complete with a constitutional government and freedom of press, and they felt they could do this as they were the most economically developed of all the states. The nationalists were in favour of a confederation of Italian states. This split in the nationalistic views of Italy was to be a thorn in the side of the concept of unification.
If we assume that nationalism was the key issue in the unification if Italy, then we must take into consideration the issues of unity and the entire spectrum of Italian citizens. The Risorgimento, the movement of Italian nationalism, cannot be considered as a united front, as the fact of the matter was that the majority of the population of the states which unified Italy came to consist of were indifferent to such a concept as being unified with their “neighboring brothers”. It was the nationalism and innovation of a handful of people from Piedmont, Venetia, Tuscany and so on. History mentions only those who really mattered directly, such as Count Camillo Benso di Cavour, Giuseppe Mazzini, Giuseppe Garibaldi and Victor Emmanuel, but in addition to the clear historical significance of these characters, the part of unmentioned nationalists around Italy are worth remembering. It was amongst this small minority of people, who believed in Italy as a great unified nation, that the notion of the Risorgimento existed.
Although Italian nationalism played a key role in achieving the unification of Italy, its role was not the leading one. Following Italian unification, problems in Italy did not cease as the people of Italy remained disunited, a fact that would lead to further problems in the years to come. If Italian nationalism had been united throughout the peninsula, then problems of later days may have been avoided. Italy’s national identity, one of the key factors of nationalism, was by no means jointed, but rather conflicted, leading on to assumptions that Italian nationalism may have been Piedmontese nationalism or even more so the nationalistic feelings of a few key individuals and groups. As mentioned before, the nationalism of Cavour, Mazzini, Victor Emmanuel and Garibaldi as well as the minority who comprised of the notion of Risorgimento played a significant role in the final end result of Italy, the unification of Italy finally fully achieved in 1870. Yet, this is not enough to explain why all of Italy joined Piedmont and accepted Piedmont laws and government, as well as being placed under Victor Emmanuel, the king of Italy, especially within such a small period of time. The achieved end result could not have been achieved had it not been for more or less nationalistic political leaders within Italy, such as Cavour and Garibaldi, as well as Mazzini.
Giuseppe Mazzini was a major factor in the unification of Italy. He started his fight for unity with non-violent means. He tried wearing black clothing to mourn the persecuted, and he attempted to educate the people about the dangers of foreign rule in Italy. Gradually however he escalated to more violent means of getting his way. He stirred feelings of Nationalism, brotherhood and religion. In 1848 he started a revolution in Rome. The Pope was forced to flee the city, and Mazzini established a Roman Republic. The entire republic was built upon the one-time rage of the masses. Mazzini simply stirred the emotions of the people, but they didn’t really feel that strongly about it. The population of Rome didn’t care enough to fight for the retention of the city. The French were easily able to re-take the city, and return it to the Pope. Mazzini nationalism was hence based upon ridding Italy of foreign rule, and because of this assisted and supported Garibaldi in his quest in Italy and Sicily.
Count Camillo di Cavour was the Prime Minister of Piedmont. His role was significant as a political leader and he dominated the Italian political scene for 3 decades and was the main spokesmen of liberal forces. His fundamental ideas were based upon liberty and progress since he was for evolution. Cavour’s formula was “free church in a free state”, as well as a free economy in a free state. Cavour also believed that Austria was gaining too much power and needed to be rejected. However, he believed that to do so, he needed a foreign help. Cavour increased taxation and was convinced that a strong military was the key to Italy’s future. A believer in monarchy and a loyal supporter of Victor Emmanuel, Cavour was a nationalist who worked hard to rid Italy of any foreign rule and domination. Where as Mazzini stood for nationalistic ideology, Cavour stood for political leadership. Cavour was also a believer in Realpolitik, or Realistic Politics, allowing him to take steps that idealists like Mazzini would never make. Cavour believed in constitutional monarchy and was a practical person willing to compromise in order to create a unified Italy under the monarchy of Piedmont-Sardinia. After Cavour’s death, Victor Emmanuel experienced troubles in replacing him, as his web of politics was too intricate for his followers who couldn’t climb to his levels of influence and status within history.
Cavour encouraged the investment of foreign capital from countries such as Britain and France to develop industry in Piedmont. Britain and France now had a financial interest in Italian unification and the elimination of all Austrian influence from the Italian peninsula. Public opinion mounted in Britain and France in favor of the unification of Italy. Britain stood to gain increased trade from an independent Italy. France wanted to weaken Austria, especially after 1858, hoping to gain new territory in northwestern Italy. Issues such as these were more crucial to the unification of Italy, more so than nationalism, the role of a minority in Italy.
Nationalism in the 1800s was still a new idea. Even though many did begin to feel strongly for their country and nation, the general consensus of the population were content with the way were, as truth be told, most of them had relatively little idea of what was going on in the world around them. Yet, the role or nationalism in the unification of Italy must not be undermined as it did play a significant role, just not as large as other influences, especially outside influences and political influences. The rise of nationalism in Italy in the mid-1800s did result in unification, but not as the general and unified sentiment of the people.
