There were two major periods where Italian revolutionaries attempted to achieve unification through uprisings. The first was in 1820-32 and then 1848-49, however they were unsuccessful both times due a few key reasons. The first reason is the military strength of Austria, as in both periods of revolt, the revolutionaries had no chance of sustaining provisional governments as the Austrian power meant that they were easily defeated and suppressed. Also, another major reason is the revolutionary groups themselves, the lack of unity between the revolutionary groups, the differing aims between the liberals and the radicals and their inability to gain mass support. The final reason, is the role of international countries, in the 1820-32 revolutions, one of the major reasons of failure was the lack of outsider help, particularly the French, additionally in the 1848-9 revolutions, the actual role of the French against them proved to be devastating.

Austria’s power is responsible for the failure of the Italian revolutions, this is expressed in the 1820-32 revolutions, as in the Papal States, the liberals set up provisional governments known as “The Government of the Italian Provinces”. However, this didn't last long as Metternich moved his Austrian troops and although there were minor uprisings, the revolutionaries were defeated by the dominant Austrian army. In addition, reactionary governments such as Piedmont and Naples were protected with the help of the Austrian military, as highlighted in Piedmont, where Charles Felix turned to Metternich for aid against the liberals, with the Austrians swiftly defeating the liberals and actually occupying Piedmont until 1823. Consequently highlighting that the liberals had no way of upholding or protecting their provisional governments, as Austria’s huge power means that when a reactionary leader such as Charles Felix wish bring