Italian Unification: True Father of Italy

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Italy was separated into many different states by 1815. In the 1850s, the Italian peninsula was divided into eight states: Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, Lombardy, Venetia, Duchy of Parma, Duchy of Modena, Duchy of Tuscany, Papal States, and the Kingdom of Two Sicilies (Morris 2000, 375). Piedmont-Sardinia, one of the leading Italian states, had established an agenda that differed significantly from the usual reactionary stances of Italian rulers. This agenda included the unification of Italy. But in order to carry forward their agenda, Piedmont-Sardinia had to first be enhanced and strengthened by the modern economic and political policies which were implemented by Camillo di Cavour (Morris, 369).

Taking his lead from the recent experiences of Britain and of France, Cavour belonged to a new generation of European conservatives who sought to harness industrial and commercial progress to maintain the political authority of the traditional governing classes (Morris, 369). Cavour (1810-1861) was a member of the Piedmontese aristocracy. He was an editor of a new political journal, Il Risorgimento until he joined the Piedmontese parliament in 1850 (Morris, 263). In January 1855, Cavour held all three of the main posts in the administration: Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Finance Minister. He and his Piedmont-Sardinia interacted with other foreign countries such as France and Prussia. Despite of the alliance between Piedmont-Sardinia and France which appeared to offer the best prospect for change that Italy had known since the Napoleonic Wars, it was found to be unsuccessful. In other words, it did not achieve the results that Cavour had anticipated. It did not drive the Austrians out of northern Italy, and did not create the strong northern Italian state that Cavour desired. Thus, it is clear that the Piedmontese amibitions did not extend to Naples or to Rome. Nonetheless, those regions were firmly on the agenda of Giuseppe Garibaldi and the ‘party action’ (the radicals who hoped to bring about the unification of Italy by direct and popular military action) (Morris, 369).  

Garibaldi (1807-1882) was a son of a fisherman from Nice (part of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia). At 15, he ran away to sea and joined Mazzini’s ‘Young Italy’ movement. Garibaldi was sentenced to death for taking part in Mazzini’s planned invasion of Piedmont-Sardinia in 1833, but escaped to South America. He fought in the civil wars in Argentina, and gained a reputation as a guerilla leader, and returned home in 1848 and devoted himself to the nationalist cause; in bringing the unification of Italy (Morris, 258). Garibaldi’s military expedition to Sicily (and subsequently to Naples) took place at the right moment. Thus, it was able to exploit Austria’s defeat, French war-weariness, and the uncertainty and vulnerability of the conservative Italian rulers. Garibaldi’s actions forced Piedmont-Sardinia, facing a deadlock in the affairs of northern Italy, to turn its attention to the south.

The unification of Italy has been assessed by many historians who come into different conclusions regarding to the question of: Who was the real father of Italy? Some historians argue that Cavour was the real father who led the unification of Italy and others believe it was Garibaldi. Some believe it was the combination of Cavour and Garibaldi or even Mazzini, Cavour, and Garibaldi as the three musketeers of unification (Farmer 2006, 20). Without a doubt, Mazzini, Cavour, Napoleon III and King Victor Emmanuel all contributed to the unification of Italy with their diplomacy, foreign policy, political and military involvements. However, from observing historical events, Garibaldi played a more significant role in the Italian Unification. In other words, Garibaldi was the one who accomplished the ‘self-revised’ Piedmontese agenda with the help of Cavour. Garibaldi was a man of action yet a romanticist and a populist who had charisma, and liberal revolutionary qualities which Cavour and the rest did not have. And this can be seen through his many achievements such as his conquests of the South in 1860. Hence, it is clear that Garibaldi was ‘il vero e solo padre del Risorgimento”: 

Garibaldi possessed a voice which was renowned throughout Europe and he was at his best when delivering spontaneous address which appealed to the emotions. For this reason, he found parliamentary debate sterile, and preferred more direct contact with the masses, amongst whom he was know as il padre dell’ Italia (Lee 1992, 80).

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The origin of Piedmont-Sardinia’s agenda of unifying Italy came from a romantic figure named Giuseppe Mazzini. Giuseppe Mazzini (1805-1872), a son of a doctor from Genoa, was highly intelligent and joined the Carbonari in 1827. He founded his own movement, ‘Young Italy,’ in March 1831, and was a republican who spread a nationalist message. By doing this, he hoped to increase patriotism so that Italians could expel the Austrians and bring about the unification of Italy. He provided an inspiration to nationalists everywhere. He argued that true liberty would only be possible when Italy was united as a single ...

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