The Extent to Which Austria was the Main Obstacle to the Unification of Italy in the Period 1815-1849
In the period immediately after the Vienna settlement in 1815 and up
to the widespread revolutions throughout Europe and especially Italy
in 1848 and 1849, the prospect of a united Italy seemed almost a
distant dream. There were a range of obstacles in between progress to
a unified state. These included the outright strength of foreign
powers and in particular of Austria in suppressing revolution and
thereafter its ability to recover quickly. Also the parochial nature
of the society, the lack of a universally accepted leader, the failure
to coordinate activity and the lack of popular support were all
obstacles to a united Italian state in this period. However, the
domination of the peninsula by Austria was the single most important
factor because without its strength the restored monarchs would have
fell permanently and the lack of foreign influence could have united
the new governments.
The influence and domination of the Italian peninsula by Austria along
with its immense military advantage was a key obstacle to the
unification of Italy in the period 1815-1849. Firstly, the Vienna
Settlement in 1815 increased Austrian power over Italy and the
reactionary Restored Monarchs were heavily influenced by Austria. This
meant that the middle-class officials in the governments and the law
courts were dismissed and replaced by the non-noble families which
were uninterested in any form of Italian unity. The Austrian
chancellor Metternich had a totally negative and reactionary approach
meaning that he was strongly opposed to nationalism and h...
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... domination over the Italian peninsula was definitely the main obstacle
to the unification of Italy in the period 1815-1849. Although the
other factors were important in ensuring that the overall effort of
the revolutionaries was more united and in turn greater, it was always
clear that without the military capabilities and resources of the
Austrians there was no way that the revolutionaries could be
successful. The overall effort for a united Italy was weak in many
different ways and although the lack of a universal leader was
definitely the next single most important factor after Austrian power
it was only an element to a certain extent. Therefore without Austrian
intervention there would have been more liberal provisional
governments which would have had a greater chance of working together
to form a united Italy.
In late July of 1914, the world was plunged into its first total war-World War I (WWI), or the Great War. There were many factors leading up to this, many being economic, political, and social. These were bringing tensions higher and higher until it was almost to the breaking point. Then, bang. Archduke Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophia were shot dead in Sarajevo, Bosnia on June 28, 1914. Otto von Bismarck was right when he said, “One day the great European War will come out of some damned foolish thing in the Balkans (goodreads).” Gavrilo Princip was an influential person of the 20th century because of his assassination of Archduke Ferdinand II. This was the catalyst that set off World War I, which indirectly caused the crash of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the formation and destruction of the Weimar Republic, World War II, and the Cold War.
...s for more liberal reforms, helping the conservatives. This also helped show how paranoid the government was of potential rebellion against them and how pragmatic they were. Then throughout 1848, there was a multitude of rebellions and when the dust settled it seemed as if the Austrian government was going to lose it was able to get back up and fight back with the help of the Russians and get back control for the conservatives. By the end of 1851 Austria was able to remain a strong conservative dual monarchy, a concession made to appease the Magyars, but their king still had to report to the Austrian king. Throughout 1815-1851 there were many demands for more liberal reforms and strong opponents of conservatism, but by the end on 1851 Austria, Prussia, and France were still some of the few nations where conservatism was able to achieve its goals and stay in power.
In document 3 Maria Theresa, Empress of Austria, writes a letter to Maria Antonia, a German ally. She writes about how their mutual enemy, King Frederick of Prussia is at full strength and he will attack. As an empress Maria Theresa writes out of fear for her country and her allies. She says that she had hoped to move troops back into the territory that Frederick seized. Having to play defense and not being able to expand was a major hurdle for Austria. Looking at this from the other side, document 4 is a letter from King Frederick of Prussia to his foreign minister after experiencing a series of defeats by the Austrians. In this letter he addresses Prussia’s need to become allies with the Ottoman Turks. He also says that it may be time to start peace negotiations. As the leader of Prussia he is frantic and nervous. This shows not only the difficulty of fighting against other strong European powers but also how dangerous it is to rely on allies. An additional type of document that could provide further information would be a letter from Saxony, the German state and ally of Austria. This could provide further insight as to what was going on Often times the biggest obstacles in the way of Europeans struggling for power was other Europeans struggling for
Next, we will discuss the Risorgimento, a 19th-century movement for unification of Italy that would ultimately establish the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Before this time, the Italian peninsula
Ginsborg P (1990). ‘A History of Contemporary Italy: Society and Politics: 1943-1980’ Published by Penguin; Reprint edition (27 Sep 1990).
Even prior to the Austro-Prussian War, there were divisions between the two states. Though they were allies for many years due to the German population that existed in both, they began to both grasp for power within the German states. One example of this power struggle occurred in the Zollverein, an economic association that Prussia led. Prussia did not want Austria to be part of this economic group and thus “blocked Austrian entry into the Zollverein.” In 1849-1850 the states were even on the brink of war. Prussia attempted to create a German union, with itself at the forefront, but Austria “called the Prussian bluff by adopting a belligerent posture.” As a result, Prussia lost what power it had accumulated in the maneuver when it signed the Olmutz Convention, which “re-established the old German Confederation.” Two wars were also influential on the conflict between Austria and Prussia. In the Cri...
The Extent to Which the Lack of Popular Support was the Main Reason for the Weakness of Italian Nationalism in the Period 1815-1848
Italy and Britain, France and Russia have more common interests, manifested in: Italy could not afford to offend the United Kingdom, because its long coastline could not afford to attack the British strong navy, so the beginning that does not participate in any action against Britain. The "impoverished imperialism" of Italy was financially dependent on the "usury imperialism" of France, in particular the failure of both Ethiopia in 1887 and 1895, and was compelled to unconditionally recognize its independence and reparations 10 million lire, which makes the financial and economic difficulties in Italy, when the opportunity to take advantage of loans in France, and to display flexible diplomatic means to make Italy and France signed a treaty, the two sides of their respective expansion in Africa and the benefits achieved To reach an agreement. Italy in order to successfully expand in Africa, also reached an agreement with Russia, the two sides signed that the common resistance to the expansion of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the Balkans, intended to Russia in the Black Sea Strait expansion of the "goodwill", the expansion of North Africa understanding. Before the outbreak of World War I, because of advantages and dis advantages, in fact, Italy separated from the Three Kingdoms the parties from the
The key issues over which the Italian Wars were fought were primarily financial incentives for Charles VIII of France. He declared that he intended to use Naples as a base to drive the Ottomans out of Europe and liberate Constantinople. In actual truth his main motivation was self-glory and the mouth-watering prospect of acquiring some exquisite prizes of war. On the way he would acquire rich cities and portable pieces of art. It seems that this invasion had been planned for two years prior since Charles had already bought off potential rivals like Henry VII of England, Ferdinand and Macsimilion. He had also enlisted the support of Genoa and Milan, both within Italy. The regent of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, needed allies and his invitation in 1594 seemed to Charles’ plans perfectly. He accepted and the Italian wars began. Also, the Cardinal of Genoa resented the current Pope, Alexander VI. He invited Charles to come in, depose him and spark off the eagerly awaited church reform.
In 19th century Italian states united to make Italy while the Germanic states united and made Germany. For Italy there were three people who had a major role in unifying Italy. They were Mazzini, Garibaldi and Cavour. For Germany it was more like one person who united the German states to make Germany and that was Bismarck. On the other hand there was a strong Austrian empire that would not tolerate any nationalist feelings to rise anywhere in Europe.
...n Italy’s support by promising Venetia and gained Russia’s assurance that they would stay neutral. Prussia was well prepared for war, with three Prussian armies swept Bohemia, and the battle of Sadowa, Austria suffered defeat.
Before attacking Austria Bismarck strengthened his power by allying with Italy. He offered Italy Venezia in turn for Italy to help Prussia in an...
In 1882 Italy, angry at France chiefly because France had forestalled an Italian advance by occupying Tunis, signed another secret treaty, which bound it with Germany and Austria-Hungary. Thus was the Triple Alliance formed. It was periodically renewed until 1913. In 1882 Serbia joined the alliance, in effect, through a treaty with Austria-Hungary. Romania joined the group in 1883, and a powerful Central European bloc was created. Italy was from the first not so solidly bound to either of its allies as Germany and Austria-Hungary were to each other. Italy was in fact a rival of Austria-Hungary in the Balkans and particularly for control of the Adriatic; moreover, there remained unsettled territorial problems (see irredentism). The Triple Alliance, however, turned diplomatic history into new channels. 4
In the early years of the twentieth century, Italy has created a new system of government, however suffered social and economic conditions. Improvements were made however, poverty and literacy were still problems that have not been solved well. While entering World War I, the nation was neutral up until joining the British and French in exchange for certain advantages. However, it was unsuccessful as Italy failed to take control of the territories that it claimed at the Versailles Peace Conference,and suffered significant losses. The ideology of fascism occurred when the power of Italy was shrinking and the idea of being a pacifist became weak. Benito Mussolini created a group of fascists to represent a means to stop the socialists and the communists coming into his nation.
Compare and Contrast the Unification of Germany, Italy, and the United States. From the 1790s to 1814 French troops successively conquered and occupied the area that later constituted the German Empire. French domination helped to modernize and consolidate Germany and -- toward the end -- sparked the first upsurge of German nationalism. In different ways, the French emperor Napoleon I helped German unification.