Free Essay

To What Extent Was Italy Unified by 1870?

In:

Submitted By Jasongoulding
Words 1399
Pages 6
To what extent was Italy Unified by 1870?
By 1870, Italy had finally captured Rome and as a result of this military victory had conquered the whole of the Italian Peninsula. Previously, the Austrians controlled Venetia and Lombardy so subsequently Italy was divided into many different states. However, by 1870, Piedmont had managed to unite all of Italy under one ruler. On the other hand, there were many divisions in this new state leading up to 1870. For example there were many people in the South of Italy who felt that they were being forced to pay and adapt to the Northern Italian way of life. Another issue was that Italy would be a federal state therefore weakening its power and that there would be not a sense of great national unity. Leading on from this in 1870, Italy had a weak government that could not control key political figures such as Garibaldi. There were also problems over the economic integration of this new state and that the infrastructure was poor. Another issue was that Rome and Venice had only been recently captured by the Italians and there was fallout over these recent events. The Pope had failed to recognise that Rome was even part of Italy and many people may have agreed with the Pope such was his influence in those times.
By 1870, there were many problems with the South of Italy. The region had a poor economy and there was widespread poverty that was incompatible with the North. Another reason why it was a problem was that there was a lot of ignorance from Piedmont politicians as to the actual state of the South. In fact, the South had acquired a reputation for being unhealthy when Cavour had visited in 1861 and then had died from poor health a few months later. The Southern problem was not solved by the politicians and still remains a problem in modern day Italy. In fact the South became such a large problem that there was a Brigands War in the years 1861-1865. This was where people living in Southern Italy became bandits and brought about a lot of pain and hardship for the inhabitants of these regions. The consequences for the surrounding citizens were more suppression and taxes that divided Italy even further. The result of this taxation meant that the difference between North and South was even greater.
The second issue in the 1860s before 1870 was that Italy was becoming a Federal State that would be harder to govern. This would be a problem for a unified Italy as each state would have different laws and that this could cause even more dissonance between the South and the North. The resulting consequence for the North could be that they would have to send money to the South to help their struggling economies. However, by 1870, the problem of Italy being a federal state had been solved. It was solved mainly by a new constitution that would be able to control all the states. The constitution was set out that it would have an elected Head of State where power would emanate from. This was more in touch with the South and therefore unifying the politics of Italy. Another solution to a state that would have been divided was the introduction of single weights and currency which meant that all of Italy could work and trade together easily and as a result there would be less dissonance between the North and the South. In political terms, Italy was unified to a great extent as it was controlled by a Head of State and now had a single weight and currency.
Leading on from this was another problem facing a unified Italy before 1870. There was a total lack of economic integration between the South and the North of Italy. The transport system was poor as there was no interest in promotion and as a result agricultural productivity decreased. Also, there were many divisions with the land. By 1870, the transport system in Italy had been improved greatly. In 1865, the railways had become privatised and there was a significant amount of capital from the state. The national rail system became a political priority and it had a huge impact on the economy and society. Therefore in the transport aspect of economic integration it had been solved. However, the land still remained a problem despite efforts to balance it out. In 1867, an act to begin the nationalisation of Church land. In the South, peasants bought land they couldn’t afford and had to sell. Therefore, Italy still needed significant land reform. Even though in terms of infrastructure, Italy was unified to a great extent, there were great divisions in the South again over the ownership of land.
Another issue facing complete unification of Italy was a weak government. Ever since Cavour had died in 1861, no one had managed to become the leader he was. Ricasoli who was Cavour’s successor had little parliamentary experience and was replaced quickly by Urbano Rattazzi. The main problem with the government was that no one could fill the role that Cavour had played in Italian politics. The result was that there was a lack of discipline and there was a lack of control over Garibaldi who nearly provoked war with France. This happened in July 1862, when Garibaldi went to Sicily with the approval of Victor Emmanuel and Rattazzi. He gathered enough support and then crossed to the mainland to capture Rome; Rattazzi was then worried about alienating the French and so arrested Garibaldi to stop him. Rattazzi was then thrown out but all of the following successors could not unite the government due to a lack of support from Victor Emmanuel and a weal parliamentary discipline. Therefore this issue was not solved and shows that even in the higher branches of Italian society there were still many divisions resulting in the fact that Italy was not unified in this aspect.
Of course, by 1870, Italy was a recently united country. Venetia had been given to Italy for its role of supporting Prussia in their war against Austria. Despite losing at the Battle of Custozza, they received Venetia and it officially became a part of Italy. Rome however, would remain under French control until 1870, where the French troops stationed there had to withdraw to help fight against the Prussians in the Franco-Prussian War. As a result, Italy pounced on Rome and invaded. On the other hand, some people were against this, particularly the Pope who ignored all laws passed concerning Rome and Church land. This aspect shows that Italy had been unified physically due to the fact that all lands considered Italian were now under their control. However, they had made enemies in doing so; they had probably angered Catholic France in their humiliation of the Church and Pope and had probably angered the Austrians for firstly fighting against them in the war and taking Venetia away from them.
To conclude, Italy had been unified physically by 1870, but there were many internal problems showing that the unification had not been completed. The overriding theme in the problems faced by the newly formed Italy was that there was such a difference between the North and the South. Even though some of the problems had been solved, for example the North and South had less dissonance politically due to the new constitution that had stopped Italy becoming a federal state, there were still many divisions economically that meant that a North-South divide was becoming increasingly apparent. This was mainly due to the fact that many Piedmontese politicians had no idea of the shortcomings of the South and that in the Southerners eyes, the Austrians had just been replaced by the Northerners. However, this lack of unification was not just constricted to the poverty stricken south; it reached into the upper echelons of Italian politics. The weak government was due to a lack of discipline as no one could unite the parliament like Cavour had. Therefore, the question stating the Italy was unified is false due to the fact that Italy itself was divided to the point where it was hurting its own progress. This is evident into today’s Italian society where much of the wealth is in the North and the South is still backward and pales in comparison.

Similar Documents

Free Essay

To What Extent Was Italy Unified by 1870?

...To what extent was Italy Unified by 1870? By 1870, Italy had finally captured Rome and as a result of this military victory had conquered the whole of the Italian Peninsula. Previously, the Austrians controlled Venetia and Lombardy so subsequently Italy was divided into many different states. However, by 1870, Piedmont had managed to unite all of Italy under one ruler. On the other hand, there were many divisions in this new state leading up to 1870. For example there were many people in the South of Italy who felt that they were being forced to pay and adapt to the Northern Italian way of life. Another issue was that Italy would be a federal state therefore weakening its power and that there would be not a sense of great national unity. Leading on from this in 1870, Italy had a weak government that could not control key political figures such as Garibaldi. There were also problems over the economic integration of this new state and that the infrastructure was poor. Another issue was that Rome and Venice had only been recently captured by the Italians and there was fallout over these recent events. The Pope had failed to recognise that Rome was even part of Italy and many people may have agreed with the Pope such was his influence in those times. By 1870, there were many problems with the South of Italy. The region had a poor economy and there was widespread poverty that was incompatible with the North. Another reason why it was a problem was that there was a lot of ignorance...

Words: 1399 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

The Causes of the Italian Unification

...understand an event as large as the Italian Unification one must draw an analysis from the causes of that event. Many small case-specific causes can be found, but the key is to find general causes that can explain the whole unification. When looking at the time frame 1815-1870, one can find three general causes that mostly, but not always, worked towards Italian Unification. The complete Italian unification in 1870 occurred because of the actions of significant personalities, more specifically: Cavour, Mazzini and Garibaldi, it also came about because of the role of foreign players and lastly because of the not always successful, but reoccurring peoples movement. After Napoleon’s adventure into Europe had been extinguished, the parties at the Congress of Vienna in 1814/1815 were determined to re-establish old conservative order. Prussia, Russia, Great Britain and Austria-Hungary were the “Big Four” throughout the meetings, all of them, except Great Britain, being interested in highly conservative monarchical rule. New concepts such as liberalism were thwarted (Murphy, et al. 2000) and laid aside; the “old way” should provide peace, which was the ultimate aim of the Congress, for the next centuries. A Congress System was established; hereby the aforementioned Powers would meet in a regular basis to negotiate and solve problems by peaceful means. Besides reintroducing old hierarchies, the Vienna Congress also brought territorial changes. They were mostly supposed to create buffer states...

Words: 2869 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Italian Unification Essays

...Answers: Italian Unification 1. What factors discouraged an early unification of Italy and how were these overcome? Before the year of 1848, the Italian faced a lot of difficulties to urge the unification movement. Until, 1848, the situation had been changed and directly contributed to the unification movement. After 1815 Italy was once again a mere geographical expression. Austria was to control a large part of Italy directly, that is, Lombardy and Venetia, and indirectly through the restored Bourbon Kings in some minor Italian states. Italian unification was once again frustrated ever the Risorgimento was quickly in advance. The explosion of Austrian power in Italy was the main problem which discouraged an early unification of Italy. Moreover, the general political atmosphere in Europe did not allow new concessions to Italian balance when the powers were concerned with maintaining the balance of power and to prevent the setting of French hegemony in Europe again. So a united Italy in 1815 would only mean French domination of Italy, so the powers generally accepted the settlement even though the 1815 settlement ignored the moral principles which first French Revolution and the Romanticism had unleashed in Europe. Even liberal powers like Britain and the mother of Revolution, France did not dare to take the risk of a war which may be caused if Italy was united and this might invite foreign intervention in the young Italy. So foreign aid was generally unavailable in the first...

Words: 15314 - Pages: 62

Free Essay

Hello

... |37 | |Unit A2 1: Option 3, Liberalism and Nationalism 1815–1914 | | |Unit A2 1: Option 4, Nationalism and Unionism in Ireland 1800–1900 |51 | |Unit A2 1: Option 5, The Clash of Ideologies in Europe 1900–2000 |67 | Introduction CCEA has developed new GCE specifications for first teaching from September 2008. This scheme of work has been designed to support you in introducing the new specification and was produced by practicing teachers who will be teaching the specification. This A2 Scheme of work provides suggestions for organising and supporting students’ learning activities. It is intended to assist you in developing your own schemes of work and should not be considered as being prescriptive or exhaustive. Please remember that this...

Words: 15150 - Pages: 61

Free Essay

How Successful Was Bismarck as Chancellor of a United Germany?

...How successful was Bismarck as Chancellor of a united Germany? The question of how successful Bismarck was as Chancellor between 1870 and 1890 is a question that has several different levels that each need to be analysed in order to get a well rounded and accurate answer. I will call upon Bismarck’s domestic and foreign policies, using them to illustrate the leaders triumphs and failures in his Chancellorship. I will also use Bismarck’s political ability, decision making and methods to further my understanding of his success in the German political sphere. Furthermore I believe that it is important to get an understanding of his political accomplishments and perhaps downfalls if the question is to be fully answered. Although the iron Chancellor is seen by many historians as responsible for Germany’s unification, I will not allow this variant to alter or effect my position on Bismarck as Chancellor because I will structure my analysis around an already united Germany. Thus, I will simply support my line of argument with relevant information to the precise question as opposed to complicating it using evidence from before the specific era in matter. Although Germany became unified in 1871 I would suggest that this actually only solved the literal problem in regards to bringing the variety of separate states together. It did nothing for uniting the people of these states under one nation. In the early years of Bismarck’s Chancellorship his ‘primary objectives’ so   to speak were...

Words: 2579 - Pages: 11

Free Essay

Niairah

...CHAPTER 1 Italy in the early nineteenth century INTRODUCTION In September 1870, the troops of King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy entered Rome. Italian unification, the bringing together different states of the Italian peninsula under one government, was complete. The Risorgimento, the reawakening of Italy, had reached its climax. However, the creation of the new Italian state was neither inevitable nor had it been planned. Although Italian unification had taken place, there was little enthusiasm for the new state among the Italian people. In 1861, an Italian politician named Massimo d’Azeglio remarked to Victor Emmanuel: ‘Sir, we have made Italy. Now we must make Italians.’ The story of what follows is of how Italy was made, but it is also a story of division and the failure to ‘make Italians’. THE STATES OF THE PENINSULA Towards the end of the eighteenth century the peninsula of Italy was home to a number of states. The Kingdom of Sardinia (Piedmont) From its capital city of Turin, the House of Savoy ruled this relatively poor part of Italy. Despite its poverty, successive rulers built up a strong army and governed with an effective civil service. The island of Sardinia was particularly backward and was sparsely populated. Until 1815, the important port of Genoa was part of the Republic of Genoa. It was politically separate from the Kingdom of Sardinia. Lombardy and Venetia In the 1790s, Lombardy was part of the Austrian Empire. Its capital, Milan, was the second largest city of that...

Words: 5605 - Pages: 23

Free Essay

Financial System - Italy

...The Financial and Banking system of: Italy Presented In Partial Fulfillments of the Course Requirements for FIN 4634 International Banking Presented for: Marcos A. Kerbel Participating Adjunct Professor Department of Finance & Real Estate Florida International University Miami, Florida Prepared by: Lisandra Cabrera Panther ID: 3553624 Phone: 786-518-8234 Email: lcabr025@fiu.edu Reported dated: 7/21/2012 Table of Contents I. Geography ................................................................................................................................. 4 II. History of the Country............................................................................................................... 5 III. Country’s Financial System..................................................................................................... 6 a. History Overview ………………………………….................................................... 6 b. Present Monetary Laws and Regulations…………………………………………….. 7 c. Types of Financial Institutions operating in the country............................................... 8 d. The Central Bank ...………………………................................................................... 8 e. Bank Regulation............................................................................................................. 8 f. Commercial Banks Operating in the country ................................................................ 9 IV. Country’s...

Words: 5118 - Pages: 21

Free Essay

Politic History of France

...Recommended Sources: Donald Kagan et al: A Political History of Europe, since 1814 by Charles Seignobos, S. M. Macvane, The Western Heritage, Brief Edition, 2003 Websites: The course focuses on European history from the early 17th century to the end of the Second World War. The following aspects of political history of five selected countries - France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain- are covered : early kingdoms, unification, nationalism movements, political philosophies, conferences, alliance systems and conflicts which had an impact on Europe during the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th Centuries.Topics such as the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, the Concert of Europe, and the two world wars will also be discussed. Special emphasis will be placed on the relationship between the rise of liberalism and nationalism, the industrial revolution, and the emergence of modern political systems in Europe. Contents Introduction Chapter 1 Political history of France : Chapter 2 Political history of Germany: Chapter 3 Political history of Great Britain: Chapter 4 Political history of Italy: Chapter 5 Political history of Spain: Introduction In studying political history of European states, we put a focus on the beginning of the 18th century as a starting point in the rise of major European powers in the face of waning non-Western empires, which led to the consequent politicization of the region as a whole, raising the stakes in the division and distribution of resources...

Words: 24910 - Pages: 100

Premium Essay

Unification of Germany

...Coercive Diplomacy: Otto von Bismarck and the Unification of Germany by Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth R. Kassner United States Marine Corps United States Army War College Class of 2012 DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: A Approved for Public Release Distribution is Unlimited This manuscript is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Strategic Studies Degree. The views expressed in this student academic research paper are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government. The U.S. Army War College is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, (215) 662-5606. The Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing this collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information...

Words: 7938 - Pages: 32

Free Essay

Globalization

...GLOBALIZATION BACKLASH AND THE RISE OF ANTI-HEGEMONIC PARTY STATES Diego Olstein Hebrew University of Jerusalem Contents Introduction: Globalization and Anti-Hegemonic Party State………………………………..5 Part I: Principle Chapter 1: Defining Anti-Hegemonic Party State………………………………………………….18 Chapter 2: Anti-Hegemonic Party State and Domestic Features of Political Regimes…………………………………………………………………………………………… 44 Chapter 3: Anti-Hegemonic Party State and Exogenous Perspective on Political Regimes……………………………………………………………………………………………75 Part II: History Chapter 4: The Global Rise of Anti-Hegemonic Party States and Globalization Backlash 1917-1945...…………………………………………………………….91 Chapter 5: The Big Leap of Anti-Hegemonic Party States: The Second Wave 1946-1975…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………111 Chapter 6: Globalization Anew and the Marginalization of Anti-Hegemonic Party States 1976-2010………………………………………………………142 Conclusions Introduction: Globalization and Anti-Hegemonic Party State In 1997 the European Commission defined Globalization “as the process by which markets and production in different countries are becoming increasingly interdependent due to the dynamics of trade in goods and services and flows of capital and technology. It is not a new phenomenon but the continuation...

Words: 33126 - Pages: 133

Premium Essay

History Ib Review Notes

...Scandinavian and Slavic origin and settled in that region out of ± 800 AD Byzantine Empire A major legacy of the Byzantine Empire for the Russians was the eastern orthodox or Greek Orthodox Church With the decline of Byzantium came a wave of conquest from the East, the Mongols until the 15th century (Tatars). To a large extent, the Mongols allowed Russians to maintain their way of life: - Slavic based languages including writing system (Cyrillic) - Orthodox religion The Russians adopted much from Asian culture and this led western Europeans to think less of the Russians Geographically Russia was isolated from the rest of Europe: - Entirely land locked (mostly) - Huge Plains of Eastern Europe prevented overland travel During these early years there were a series of muscovite princes based in Moscow and called themselves Tsars. By the 17th century the Romanov family became the ruling dynasty: - Alexander I (1801-1825) - Nicholas I (1825-1855) - Alexander II (1855-1881) - Alexander III (1881-1894) - Nicholas II (1894-1917) Under the rule of Peter the Great (1689-1728) Russia grew greatly in size and entered the European World www.ibscrewed.org The Russia of 1800 was one of the greatest autocracies in Europe where: - The Tsar’s rule was absolute - There was a small, but powerful landowning elite - The vast majority of the population existed in a state called serfdom Serfdom: refers to the legal...

Words: 32400 - Pages: 130

Premium Essay

Montessori for the 21st Century

...to secondary public program. Keywords: Montessori, constructivism, independence, Dewey, progressive, alternative education Montessori: Evolving Toward a Public Secondary School in the 21st Century Since the time of early philosophers such as Socrates, Aristotle and Plato, to whom we can trace the traditional subjects of the common core curriculum, there have been heated political and social debates surrounding the field of education. Rather than being discouraged by their recurrent nature, academic planners and developers must examine these questions anew to refresh our views and test our assumptions about the necessary directions of education in current society. One of the most basic questions at the heart of this discussion is, what are the aims or purposes of education? In order to create an effective program of education, we must work backwards from these desired goals to develop appropriate strategies for achievement, examining the implications and...

Words: 8960 - Pages: 36

Premium Essay

Fallacy of Taking Development to the People

...DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL AND RESOURCE ECONOMICS AND POLICY DIVISION OF AGRICULTURAL AND NATURAL RESOURCES UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY Working Paper No. 887 FALLACIES IN DEVELOPMENT THEORY AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY by Irma Adelman Copyright © 1999 by Irma Adelman. All rights reserved. Readers may make verbatim copies of this document for non-commercial purposes by any means, provided that this copyright notice appears on all such copies. California Agricultural Experiment Station Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics May, 1999 FALLACIES IN DEVELOPMENT THEORY AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY. by Irma Adelman I. Introduction No area of economics has experienced as many abrupt changes in leading paradigm during the post Word War II era as has economic development. Since economic development is a policy science, the twists and turns in development economics have had profound implications for development policy. Specifically, the dominant development model has determined policy prescriptions concerning the desirable: role of government in the economy; its degree of interventionism; the form interventionism; and the nature of government-market interactions. Changes in both theory and policy prescriptions arise mainly from the following five sources: First, there is learning. As our empirical and theoretical knowledge-base enlarges, new theoretical propositions, or new evidence concerning either resounding real-world successes...

Words: 13335 - Pages: 54

Premium Essay

Dependency Theory

...of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America, Raul Prebisch. Prebisch and his colleagues were troubled by the fact that economic growth in the advanced industrialized countries did not necessarily lead to growth in the poorer countries. Indeed, their studies suggested that economic activity in the richer countries often led to serious economic problems in the poorer countries. Such a possibility was not predicted by neoclassical theory, which had assumed that economic growth was beneficial to all (Pareto optimal) even if the benefits were not always equally shared. Prebisch's initial explanation for the phenomenon was very straightforward: poor countries exported primary commodities to the rich countries who then manufactured products out of those commodities and sold them back to the poorer countries. The "Value Added" by manufacturing a usable product always cost more than the primary products used to create those products. Therefore, poorer countries would never be earning enough from their export earnings to pay for their imports. Prebisch's solution was similarly straightforward: poorer countries should embark on programs of import substitution so that they need not purchase the manufactured products from the richer countries. The poorer countries would still sell their primary products on the world market, but their foreign exchange reserves would not be used to purchase their manufactures from abroad. Three issues made this policy difficult to follow. The first...

Words: 10522 - Pages: 43

Premium Essay

Policing

...a permanent occupational group within a bureaucratic institution, providing the primary state response to crime and disorder. That was primarily a development of the 19th century and a reaction to the rapid social change of the industrial revolution and rapid urbanization. Prior to 1800, governments maintained order by a variety of means, local and national. One of the key historical debates concerns the effectiveness of these approaches and the degree of continuity between the premodern and modern police models. Around 1800 a small number of distinctively different types of police institution emerged. The French, under Napoleon, instituted the Gendarmerie, a state military police model. It evolved from the “Marechaussee,” which had had a dual military and civil function since the 16th century. The model was exported across Europe by Napoleon. The British developed two models. The first, set up to answer similar challenges to the Gendarmerie in France, was the Royal Irish Constabulary model. It was close to the state military model, but distinctively styled as part of the civil power of the state and subordinated to the Magistracy. The Irish model was subsequently exported to Britain’s colonies and became the basis of forces such as the Indian Police Service. The Metropolitan Police was consciously created as a local force with a uniform that was deliberately different from the military and a mission that focused on prevention of crime rather than the repression of disorder. This...

Words: 11839 - Pages: 48