Nationalism is the belief that
an ethnic group should have its
own national state and government.
E. Napp
Since the
Middle Ages,
Italy had been
a collection
of kingdoms
and city-states.
E. Napp
From the early 1800s, much of
Italy was ruled by Austria.
E. Napp
The Pope controlled central
Italy.
E. Napp
Giuseppe Mazzini
founded an organization
called “Young Italy”. It
was a secret society for
Italian unification.
Mazzini was the “soul”
of Italian unification.
His writings
inspired nationalists.
E. Napp
Mazzini’s writings stirred up revolts
but the revolts were quickly put
down. Mazzini had to flee Italy.
E. Napp
Giuseppe
Garibaldi
worked
with
Mazzini and
was also
exiled.
Garibaldi was the “sword” of
unification.
E. Napp
He organized an army
for unification. His
soldiers were known
as the “Red Shirts”.
E. Napp
In 1852, Count Cavour
was made Prime
Minister of the
Kingdom of Piedmont
and Sardinia by King
Victor Emmanuel.
E. Napp
Cavour provoked
a war with
Austria while
Garibaldi’s armies
moved north
across the
peninsula.
Cavour was the
“mastermind” of
unification.
E. Napp
Cavour then annexed most of the other
states of northern and central Italy.
E. Napp
Meanwhile, Giuseppe
Garibaldi overthrew the king of
Naples in the south. He then joined
Naples to Cavour’s enlarged Piedmont.
E. Napp
By 1871, unification had been achieved.
The Pope’s territory had been reduced
to the Vatican.
E. Napp
But
unification had
failed to
end the
cultural and
economic
divisions
that
separated
Italy’s north
and south.
E. Napp