Part of The Student Room Group

  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

How and why was most of Italy unified by 1861?

Extracts from this document...

Introduction

Natalie Simmons How and why was most of Italy unified by 1861? By 1861 all of Italy was united apart from Venetia and Rome. There were years of struggle to get this achievement. Between the years 1859 and 1861, there were dramatic changes. Risings in the past had all failed. Peninsula was divided into ten separate Italian states. All the states wanted to keep their independence. Although there was a common religion and a common literacy language appeared there were many disagreements, mistrust towards leaders. After these failers, piedmont took lead in the process of unification. Piedmont had a constitution still so this helped them a lot. Piedmont also had full support form the ambitious king Victor Emmanuel II who wanted piedmont to be an influential and modern state. Cavour founded the "IL Resorgimento" in 1847. He stood for election in 1848 but failed. A few months later he entered politics and made himself known as a liberal. ...read more.

Middle

This war and the influence resulting from it had a large influence on the process of Italian unity. It resulted in major defeats for Austria. Suddenly on 11the July 1859 Napoleon made a truce with Austria although he seemed to be sickened by the carnage. He feared Prussia would come to the aid of Austria because they had already mobilised their troops; the combined armies would be invincible. By doing this Lombardy was given to France which was then passed on to Italy so Italy now had Lombardy. This war amounted in the rulers of Tuscany, Modena and Parma being restored to their duchies. Provisional governments that were set up by Piedmont during the war began to arrange for the election of assemblies. Napoleon attempted to take control of Nice and Savoy. If Cavour could take control of central states then Napoleon could take control of this territory. This was all done this way to avoid criticism from other European powers and procedures done formally; it also avoided revolts. ...read more.

Conclusion

Because he gained this land and then put it under the power of Victor Emmanuel II Italy was mainly united. Cavour was a strong influence on Italian nationalism in the north of Italy because he knew what he wanted to achieve and what others expected him to achieve and he set out to do it. Garibaldi was of main influence in the south of Italy. Garibaldi was a bit to optimistic which created a bit of an obstacle and some of his ideas a little too extreme. He achieved to abolish tax collected on corn being milled into flour which was a standing grievance for the peasants and he won support by promising a redistribution of land. He managed to suppress a number of new peasant revolts and he won the support of landowners though he did loose the peasants support. Overall I fell that the Italian unification was a success, although there was much disagreement between the leaders, they all played their part and contributed some how. They all had the one main aim, to unify Italy although they did have different methods and approaches to getting it. ...read more.

The above preview is unformatted text

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our AS and A Level Modern European History, 1789-1945 section.

Found what you're looking for?

  • Start learning 29% faster today
  • 150,000+ documents available
  • Just £6.99 a month

or


Not the one? Search for your essay title...
  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

See related essaysSee related essays

Related AS and A Level Modern European History, 1789-1945 essays

  1. What had Garibaldi contributed to Italian Unification by 1861

    He saw that the only way his achievement would be surpassed was if Venetia and Rome became part of his new state. Here we see that Cavour was not interested in the south of Italy because he was always the economist never the nationalist so he dismissed southern Italy because

  2. Why did the war against Austria in 1859 result in the unification of most ...

    cut the war short at seven weeks and call a truce with Austria. He met with Franz Joseph at Villafranca, without consulting Cavour. They met at Villafranca as a signal of the end of the war. Because Piedmont had sent Piedmontese troops to fight, Piedmont was invited to the treaty held at Zurich.

  1. How united was Italy after 1861?

    This was not the case, but Italy was simply switching its primary target to Venetia. Venetia was obtained finally in 1866 by a treaty, which was signed on 8th April. This said that Italy would receive Venetia in return for its support of the Prussians in their war against the Austrians.

  2. Who was more responsible for the success of Italian Unification up to 1861? Cavour, ...

    (Andrina Stiles The Unification of Italy 1815-70) The French army then worked in collaboration with the Piedmontese army in the battles of Magenta and Solbrino. After this Napoleon withdraw his support for the reason that Prussia was mobilizing along the Rhine and public opinion was against unifying Italy thus Napoleon believed it to be more important that carrying on.

  1. A Night to remember - Invincible. That was the sole word in the English ...

    These possible encounters in the future kept the momentum going, but the tension created by the waiting was enormous, although a lot of the time was taken up by training (how much training do you need to peel potatoes?), there were still many exasperating moments, while we waited for a signal for action.

  2. Bismarck up until 1861.

    He is described as an easy going, slow witted man with an enormous frame. His mother, Wilhelmine Menken came from a family of bureaucrats without title or lands. Some had been university professors. Her father had strong political influence, and at one point had virtually total control over home affairs.

  • Over 160,000 pieces
    of student written work
  • Annotated by
    experienced teachers
  • Ideas and feedback to
    improve your own work