Throughout history there have been many great migrations to the “new world”, from the Irish wave to the Jews of Eastern Europe, the Americas have been historically viewed as the land of opportunity. No other migration story is more mythologized or popularized than that of the Italian-American immigrant experience. Following Italian Unification in 1870, a range of political, economic and social challenges befell many everyday Italians forcing them to reassess their socio-economic position in Italy and whether Italy could provide for their families. Although Italian Unification established the modern-day Italian nation-state, millions of Italians immigrated to the Americas in the latter part of the Nineteenth century because of the desperate …show more content…
However, hopes for a unified Italy dwindled after the disintegration of the Western Roman Empire. Over the course of the next thousand years, Italy fell victim to countless invasions and conquests by foreign powers that sought to exploit Italy’s strategic geographical position in the Mediterranean region. In addition, foreign powers wanted control of the country’s rich agricultural as well as maritime resources, but also pursued the cultural significance of hoisting one’s flag in the historic and prestigious areas of Italy, such as Rome, Florence, or Naples. Furthermore, between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Risorgimento, foreign rule over Italy fostered a disdainful and distrustful attitude towards those who were perceived as foreign invaders. The result of these prolonged and widespread sentiments generated two important foundations of the Italian psyche, “Civismo” and “Campanilismo”. The first term refers to the individual citizens of a city-state and signifies the individual’s responsibility to the family as well as to have respect for one’s society; “Civismo” also implies a sense of community. The latter term, “campanilismo” is also known as the bell-tower syndrome, and it …show more content…
In the aftermath of the Unification of Italy, the northern elite class recognized the rising economic instability and increasing demand for adequate political representation from the south. Likewise, the northern ruling class hoped to keep a similar system of subordination used by foreign powers over the south, but in particular over the Mezzogiorno, as a way of maintaining their political and economic control over the newly created Italian nation. Subsequently, an establishment of a unified Italy presented an issue for the rich industrial northerners, “How could they retain political power and economic dominance while maintaining the current status quo in the Mezzogiorno?” After the Kingdom of Spain and other foreign powers were expelled from the Mezzogiorno, nobles, elites, and leaders from the conquering Kingdom of Savoy replaced them. Unfortunately, the people of the Mezzogiorno under foreign rule rarely experienced stability or socio-economic prosperity, now they were once again confronted with familiar forms of social, economic, and political discrimination. Rising poverty and the increasing economic disenfranchisement of the rural southern class, along with the perceived threat of foreign rule were the primary factors behind the emigration