Using all these Sources and your own knowledge, how far do you agree that Piedmont developed into major European power by 1859?

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Using all these Sources and your own knowledge, how far do you agree that Piedmont developed into major European power by 1859?

Source A and D agree that Piedmont was economically strong and agree with the statement that Piedmont was a major and important European power by 1859; as by the 1850’s were an important period of political and economic development and change in Piedmont as it gained a reputation of a modernised state. However it could be argued that Piedmont wasn’t a major European power by 1859 as Source B and C disagree with the statement as they believe that Piedmont wasn’t military and politically strong enough as they didn’t have any foreign alliances to be able to gain support and provoke a war with Austria.

One side of the argument is that Piedmont was independent and politically efficient as Piedmont was chosen as a leading role in political unity rather than any other states in Italy, which shows that Piedmont was considered a major power at the time as they all relied on Piedmont’s political and social development after 1848.  Source D agree that Piedmont was an independent region ‘ Piedmont’s experiment in free government based on the Statuto was crucial to the Italian state’ this shows that Piedmont was strong enough politically and could be possibly a major European power as it was the only state that retained the Statuto while liberal constitutions across the penisola were repressed. ‘Capacity for self-government’ this also shows that Piedmont was politically stable which ally control.

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 However it could be argued that Piedmont wasn’t politically strong to be considered a major power by 1859 as Piedmont did not have any foreign alliances such as France and Britain which was a major issue as Piedmont wasn’t strong enough to dominate the north of Italy at the expense of Austria without any foreign support. Source C supports the fact that Piedmont was politically weak ‘ I did not disguise from him that our object was to free Italy from foreign rule’ this shows that they did not have a strong alliance as Cavour might have thought they had ...

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