During the 19th century, continental Europe was in a state of chaos, the people searched for a “democratic” system that made everyone equal in a world ruled by inequality. During this time monarchs created multiple kingdoms within a single country, causing the country to be stagnant and uncooperative. Under this regime the peasants and low class people were exploited by the upper class, causing the people to unite and revolt against their oppressors. The century of revolution began with the French Revolution in 1789, when the French moved to create a united people’s republic. With the success of the French Revolution, the acts of the French people inspired other revolutionaries to emerge in an attempt to unify the people of their own countries. Twice a powerful nation (Roman Empire and Renaissance) the Italians were subject to the laws of both France and Austria. Italy began their attempt in establishing an independent peninsula in 1815; it lasted for three-quarters of a century culminating to the capture of Rome in 1870. The establishment of a unified Italy was engineered the unity of the Kingdom of Italy. Cavour politically united the people, Mazzini instilled the idea of nationalism throughout Europe and Garibaldi led the revolution that would make Italy independent. The acts of these individuals were pivotal in establishing unifying Italy and her people.
The Italian identity was born under Giuseppe Mazzini, a member of the Carbonari, a secret society who participated in overthrowing governments. During his time with cabonari Mazzini strove to eliminate the Austrian influence from Italy whilst unifying Italy into a democratic republic. Mazzini saw revolution as the only means to establishing an national identity, not only in...
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... in various different ways. Mazzini acted as the spark of revolution through his ability to unite the people through his literary propaganda. Cavour’s role was that of the statesmen, developing ways to make unification work under a constitutional government. Cavour ensured Italian unification through diplomatic channels culminating in the conflict that would eventually unite Italy. Apart from establishing the Italian peninsula, Cavour also built a railway to unite areas of Italy and also aided in stabilizing the economy. Lastly, Garibaldi acted as the sword, the revolutionary that through his exploits encouraged the people to revolt against their oppressive masters, acting as the final piece of the Italian shaped puzzle. Through the actions of these three individuals the Italian unification was a planned endeavor engineered by Italians for the freedom of Italians.
Multiple historians have touched on the change in government during Fascist Italy’s reign in World War II. In Italian Fascism: Its Origins and Development, Alexander De Grand clarifies the many promises Benito Mussolini fabricated for the Italian people in order to get them to join his cause such as the improvement on poverty with the rise of a new Roman Empire. De Grand also gives an opposite view, with some citizens seeing Fascism as a “model of efficiency.” In Melton S. Davis’ Who Defends Rome?, t...
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
Italy achieved her unification in 1870. She had a constitutional monarchy like that of Great Britain, but democratic society failed to develop in Italy because the government was controlled by corrupt politicians, called the party bosses. They controlled the elections by bribing the voters. Once they were in power, they were more interested in achieving personal gains for themselves than in solving the social and economic problems of the people. As a result of this political corruption, Italy remained a poor country. Industrial progress was slow. Italy was poor in natural resources and lack of fertile land. Many of the farm laborers were landless and were often unemployed, so millions of Italians were forced to emigrate.
a united Italy, it was one which strode in a path towards it. A lack
At the end of World War One, the Central Powers (which included Italy, Germany, and Austria-Hungary) were forced to submit to the Treaty of Versailles, which left the Central Powers with citizens who had a mounting disdain for government and organized power. In this chaos, Italy struggled to find a definitive government. As a result, from the end of WWI in 1919 to 1922 Italy, struggling in the ruins of WWI, found itself under the rule of five different governments. Following the infamous ‘March on Rome’, Benito Mussolini was chosen to be Italy’s head of government; however, Mussolini’s nascent fascist party (which was officially founded in 1919) toiled to rally around a set ideology. Though Mussolini had founded the Fascist party in 1919, the party had no set platform or ideology to organize itself around. James Whisker, a professor of Political Science at West Virginia University states, “Italian fascism had at least four principal phases.” Through these phases Italian fascism would come to fruition. The first...
He saw WW1 as a “great opportunity for italy” to become a global superpower(biography.com editors).
Benito Mussolini decided to get Italy involved in World War II. This decision had a negative impact on Italy. After World War I, the Italian people were angry that Italy did not get more land from the peace settlement. Getting Italy involved in World War II was not necessary. Getting involved in this war could have easily been avoided, but Mussolini decided to help and tries to give Italians what they wanted. What the Italians hoped to gain from World War I was never received. The gaining of land for Italy seemed as if it was a necessity to Mussolini. To gain more land, Mussolini led Italy into World War II. Things did not work out as expected for Mussolini. Thinking he had everything under control and that everything would go his way, things backfired and many men were lost during World War II. He also made Italy mar...
The failure of the Italian revolutions cannot be attributed to one reason as there are a plethora of reasons which could be cited as a main cause. The main reasons which could be argued as the most important reasons for the failure of the Italian revolts are the lack of organisation within revolutionary groups, the Austrian army’s strength, the political and military inexperience of those in power, the Pope’s abandonment of the revolution, the hesitation of Charles Albert to front the campaign of unity and Bonaparte’s intervention. In 1815 Italy was not recognised as a country, Metternich, an Austrian statesman, said "The word 'Italy' is a geographical expression, a description which is useful shorthand, but has none of the political significance the efforts of the revolutionary ideologues try to put on it” which shows that Italy was not considered a country this was because it was separated into different states and each had their own rulers. The system of government was mainly autocratic which meant that just one man was in charge of the entire state and so it would be true to say that Italy was not a democratic country. The French Revolution that began in 1789 meant that countries all over Europe were under the control of Napoleon Bonaparte, Italy included until the battle of Waterloo where Napoleon was defeated. All progress that had been made in the country was reversed with the Treaty of Versailles which meant that the autocratic kings were reinstated into Naples, Sardinia-Piedmont and Sicily and the duchies of Parma, Modena and Tuscany were given back to Austrian rule. The people of Italy had tasted a better life under Napoleon’s rule and wanted change, this led to the revolts.
During the late 1800's Italy became one of the most overcrowded countries in Europe. Many Italians began to consider the possibility of leaving Italy to escape the new low wages and high taxes. For centuries the entire Italian peninsula was divided into quarreling states, with foreign powers often controlling several states. In this chaotic situation, the feudal system ruled above the economic system, leaving money only in the hands of a select few (Wikepedia.com, 2007).
Despite intense feelings of nationalism, when Italy’s opportunity came to unify in early 1848 the leaders and the people became hopelessly divided.
Brown, Gregory. "NATIONAL UNITY: ITALY (1848-1876)." NATIONAL UNITY: ITALY (1848-1876). University of Las Vegas, Nevada, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. .
The Italian Unification was a big impact on Nationalism, which was led by Benso di Cavour, which supplied most of the ideology for the movement. Benso di Cavour was also the Prince of Piedmont-Sardinia and severed as King Victor Emmanuel II. Cavour built the strength of Piedmont-Sardinia by making a strong army, an environment that was healthy, and political freedom. Cavour was all for freedom of speech, gaining Napoleon III support by promising him Sa...
"Il Duce", (the leader), was the name that Benito Mussolini gave himself as his rise to power in Italy continued. He led the people of Italy with the mind set and many of the same ideas that Hitler used in Germany. "… a tendency had been developing in Italy in favor of closer relations with Germany, both politically and economically." (1) Mussolini, along with Hitler, pushed towards a nation that was free of Jews, and would consist solely of the "perfect man". Mussolini’s goal was to create an ultimate Italian empire, in alliance with Hitler’s Germany. (2)
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.
Even in recent times the action of war has been useful in condensing scattered elements of nationality, and in liberating subject populations. United Italy was formed directly or indirectly by the war of 1859, 1866, and 187O. The last war realised the dreams of German poets, and united the Teutonic nations more closely than the shrewdest statesmen could have conceived to be possible a few years ago. That same war, so calamitous for France, will yet regenerate that great country, and make her more prosperous than she has ever been. Th...