Essay Plans
Italy 2586
Cavour vs Garibaldi
Cavour
Initially only interested in expanding
Piedmont
Helped to modernise Piedmont & make her
focus for unity
Diplomatic skills brought in Napoleon III
Invasion of Papal States crucial
Cavour vs Garibaldi
Garibaldi
Prominent in defence of Rome (1849)
Mazzinian- believed in free Italy
Hugely popular – showed Italians could
change their destiny
Actions forced others eg Cavour to act
Genuine hero and patriot
Cavour vs Garibaldi
• Limited view of Italy
• Diplomat who worked
hard to gain
international support
• Feared that
Garibaldi’s actions
might lead to war
• Quick thinking
prevented French
intervention
• Whole of Italy united
• Patriot who gathered
popular support him
around him
• Despised Cavour &
parliamentary rule
• Campaign in south
enlarged ‘Italy’
Conclusion
• Tempting to decide one more important
than the other
• Certainly no love lost between the two!
• Better to see them as 2 parts of a jigsaw
• Cavour drove out the Austrians (with
French help)
• Garibaldi helped Italians to complete Italy
Italian Govt & problems 1861-70
• New state was really enlarged Piedmont
• First problem was to reconcile its customs
to large areas of Italy which regarded it as
alien
• Some regions like Lombardy had large
amount of independence under Austria
• Rome & Venice outside Italy in 1861
Successes
• Constitution, admin system and weights &
measures imposed on whole country
• Garibaldi presented problem with attempts
to take Rome – thwarted
• Venice and Rome both became part of the
Italian state by 1870
‘Failures’
• New government had real problems in the
South – resulting in the Brigands War
• Imposition of Piedmontese law delayed in
Tuscany
• Acquisition of Venice and Rome owed
much to work of foreign powers
• Relationships between the new state and
the Papacy remained poor for next 40 years
Lack of support as main reason for
failure 1830-49?
• Certainly lack of support was key issue
• Groups like Carbonari attracted small
numbers
• No appeal made by Mazzini etc to the rural
or urban masses
• Attempts at revolutions in early 1830s
easily suppressed
• Risings in 1848-9 took longer to deal with
Other factors (1)
Poor leadership
 Carbonari leadership lacked military
experience/organisational skills
 Little attempt made to co-ordinate risings
to cause maximum impact
 Risings very parochial – limited to
specific areas – no big vision
 Charles Albert wasted good opportunity
Other factors (2)
Divided support
 There were different solutions to problem
 Mazzini – united, republican Italy
 Piedmont’s rulers – expansion in north
 Gioberti – federation of states under the
Pope
 Class divisions (seen in 1848-9)
Other factors (3)
Foreign Intervention
 Austrians gave help to suppress risings in
1830s
Defeated Charles Albert in 1849
 Helped King of Naples to regain power
 French defeated Roman Republic
 Role of Pius IX?
Did France help or hinder 1848-70?
Help
o 1858 Compact of Plombieres
o Fought against Austrians 1859
o Gained Lombardy
o Had made first major breech in Austrian
control in the North
o Later supported union of Northern Italy
under Piedmont
France – help or hindrance?
• Intervention of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte
in 1849 meant end of Roman Republic
• Continuing presence of French garrison in
Rome caused problems
• Truce of Villafranca caused serious
damage to Cavour’s plans to take over
Venetia
• Napoleon III tried to prevent Garibaldi’s
progress
To what extent was Austria the main obstacle to the
creation of a united Italy 1830-49?
• Level of Austrian control in 1830 –
Lombardy & Venetia, 3 Duchies
• Military alliance with Kingdom of 2
Sicilies
• Close links with the Papacy
• Austrian military action crushed revolts in
the 1830s & during 1848-9
• Defeated Charles Albert 1849
Other factors (1)
•
a)
•
•
•
•
Poor leadership
Charles Albert
Not a good soldier
Reluctant to accept help from
revolutionaries
Delayed attack on Radetsky till too late
Was only interested in expanding
Kingdom
Other factors (2)
b) Mazzini
• Had clear vision of united, free,
Republican Italy
• No practical military/planning experience
• All his attempts at risings failed
• Peak was in 1849 – Roman Republic
• Alienated both middle and peasant classes
Other factors (3)
• The Papacy
• Election of Pius IX & early reforms
excited Nationalists & worried Metternich
• Hopes were dashed as Pope was neither a
nationalist nor a liberal
• Allocution of 1849 seriously weakened
nationalist movement
Other factors (4)
Low level of support
• No attempt made to enlist support from
peasants
• Support split between different solutions
Localism
Ideological splits
French intervention against Roman Republic
Conclusion
• Clearly Austria was a major obstacle
• Even Piedmont not strong enough to
overcome her power & influence
• Equally important was the lack of popular
support
• And little or no agreement over policy or
co-ordination of action