Napoleon once declared that he ‘would like to do something for Italy’ but by this he seemingly didn’t mean unification. Instead he wished for a federated Italy with an enlarged Piedmont in the north acting as a benevolent ally: a united Italy was rejected as it could act as a threat to France. Also, Napoleon abandoned Italy during the war with Austria and left Cavour and Garibaldi to unite Italy by themselves. It can be said after this that Italy no longer had the aid of foreign help and had to gain independence by themselves.
Cavour played a critical role along the side of Napoleon. Some people dispute this he was fighting steadfastly for unification of Italy. But I would have to oppose this and say that he was an expansionist who was aiming to expand his state of Piedmont into the Papal States and Lombardy. When he signed the treaty with Napoleon, he was prepared to sacrifice Savoy and Nice to the French. This goes to show that he was not particularly determined to unite Italy as one, but he did have ambitions of uniting northern Italy and southern as two separate countries. He once declared that ‘Piedmont, gathering to itself all the living forces of Italy, would soon be in the position to lead our mother-country to the high densities to which she is called’. Cavour was remarkably fond of allies and firmly believed that they were the keys to success in Italy. He aided Great Britain and France in the Crimean War and France was a great help in the unification process.
But France abandoned Cavour during the war with Austria and after this it has been said that he turned towards aims of one unified Italy. Stephen J Lee (author of ‘Aspects of European History’ 1789 – 1980) once pledged that ‘between 1859 and 1860, however, Cavour was pushed along irresistibly by the sequence of events and had to adapt his former proposals [expansionism]’.
Mazzini was probably the most dedicated Italian revolutionary of his time. He was displeased with the efforts of the Carbonari and this aided him in a new approach to the problems in Italy. He spoke to all the Italians, not just the middle class and believed that they had the ability to gain unification within them. He was in favour of democracy and freedom as well as viewing patriotism as a religion. He used propaganda and insurrection to present his ambitions and worked tirelessly to awaken the national consciousness of the Italian people. In 1831, he founded the ‘Young Italy’ which became very popular although he was not adored everywhere he went. The significant factor about Mazzini was that he never appealed to foreign aid when times were severe; he soundly believed that Italy could achieve unification by herself.
Another two revolutionists were Cesare Balbo and Vincenzo Gioberti. They both believed that Italy would never become a republic or democratic. Gioberti invariably felt that it was the role of the Pope, which would lead Italy (unlike Balbo who thought the Pope was unnecessary). Both desired to expel the Austrians from Italy. Balbo thought that the only state that was capable of achieving this feat was Piedmont-Sardinia and that its king should assume the leadership of the new Italian Federation.
The secret societies played an important role in the unification of Italy and they received no backing from foreign countries. They were scattered throughout Italy and had their origins from 18th century Freemasonry. The most notable of these societies was the Carbonari. They were based mainly in Naples and were the most received.
But overall, they may have been important to the people but they weren’t very effective in the unification. They were said to be a meeting point for people who had complaints and imply needed to release a little ‘steam’. The Carbonari had little and ill defined aims which were often contradictory to each other. They possessed neither the competence nor often the desire to work for an Italian state. For most, the vision of a changed Italy extended no further than regional demands for constitutions and liberal reforms. And so, it can hardly be said that they worked towards a unified Italy as all they never took extreme action against the Austrians. I suspect that with their lack of enthusiasm to work, had they decided to strike, then would have been easily crushed by the Austrians. The secret societies were not enough to bring about unity.
It is said that the proclamation for unification was only steered for the middle class. But it should be remembered that there were some people who spoke out in order for the professional and higher classes to hear. For example, Giorgio Palavicino (a Lombard nobleman) and Danfele Manin (a lawyer) rose up to support Mazzini and unification. They worked by the motto of ‘Victor Emmanuel, King of Italy’ and hoped that monarchists, federalists, liberals as well as professional and higher classes could unite.
After the Napoleonic Wars of 1815, Napoleon had left Italy with reforms, which helped unite them, more. He introduced territorial rationalization (which helped reduce the number of states and made them feel more like a country). And a representative government in which the people could vote, improved communications (this proved very beneficial in transporting new ideas around the country), improved commerce, social change (land was redistributed and a commercial middle class began to develop) and the power of the church was reduced. All of these factors helped Italy feel more like one country and this sparked of ideas for a united Italy.
And so, in conclusion I would say that foreign aid was a major factor in the unification of Italy. This can be seen through the aid of France in the struggle against Austria. But, in my opinion, I would have to say that foreign influence helped to trigger of the start of the unification process (for example, through the works of Napoleon after the Napoleonic Wars). As Italy became stronger, countries began to back away as they felt that it could be threatening. And so, Italy was left alone and they had to proceed on the long struggle for independence themselves and in the end, they were the ones who achieved it.
