The Failure of the Revolutions of 1848-49 to Remove Foreign Influence from Italy

The Failure of the Revolutions of 1848-49 to Remove Foreign Influence from Italy

There were five main reasons why the revolutions of 1848 failed. These

were the lack of co operation between the revolutionary groups,

differing views of liberals and radicals, lack of co ordination and

the lack of one single leader, the lack of popular support and foreign

intervention. Although I feel that all these factors played a part in

the failure of the revolutions I feel that it was foreign intervention

that was the main reason they were unsuccessful.

A factor important in the failures of the revolutions was the lack of

co operation between revolutionary groups. This was important because

it meant that there was no idea of a unified desire for a free nation.

Each state had different interests, and although all wanted foreign

influence removed they could not agree on how to do it and how control

would be shared afterwards. The north and south was divided, with each

state also having its own aims. While both Sicily and Napleswanted

freedom from Austria, Sicily also wanted freedom from Naples as it

elected a parliament and declared them separate. There was no desire

for a unified Italy, free from external control, but individual states

with their own control. Each revolution was separate. This meant that

instead of a mass revolution of the entire country, which would have

been too strong to suppress, there were many smaller revolutions which

were in turn crushed. The leaders of each state even intervened in

each other's revolutions as they either wanted to break free of other

states or wanted to bring them together in a unified Italy.

Another factor in the failure was the difference in how to go about

the revolutions. Not only was it the aims that differed but also the

methods in which to achieve them. There were different extremes, with

the liberals such as Balbo and Gioberti and the radicals such as

Mazzini. The liberals wanted not an Italian republic but a federation

of states but still could not agree on who was to adopt leadership of