A brief introduction to the birth of the Italian State.

HISTORY OF ITALYA brief introduction to the birth of the Italian

State

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1600-1815Italy remains

split into a dozen separate states while European nations are forming

The feudal system lingers on in the south

Europe 1648

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Napoleon conquers Italy in the 1790’sAfter his defeat in

1815, most Italian states go back to their former rulers:

Lombardy-Venetia to Austria

Naples and Sicily to Spain

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Napoleonic expansion

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1815: CONGRESS OF WIEN (Italy after Napoleon)

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The Risorgimento(Resurgence)

Hatred of foreign rule increases

Liberation movement begun by Giuseppe Mazzini in Piedmont with the support of Charles Albert, king of Sardinia-Piedmont (House of Savoy)

Scattered revolts in 1848 were unsuccessful

Giuseppe Mazzini

Nationalist in ItalyItalians were inspired by the French

Revolution.Congress of Vienna kept Italy separated.Austria controlled portions of northern Italy.Other independent states kept unification hard to

do.A group of Italian tried to keep it alive.

This group was called the Risorgimento ”resurgence”. Secret society.

Giuseppe MazziniFormed the Young Italy movement.

Forced Austrian out of Lombardy and Venetia.Seized control of RomeA republic was formed by Mazzini and two

other leaders. His victories were not long lived. Austria gain control of northern states. Only Sardinia remained independent.

SardiniaWas ruled by King Victor Emmanuel II.Chief Minister was Camillo Benso di Cavour.

Was more powerful than King. Wanted to expand Sardinian territory. Wanted to lead in uniting Italy. He strengthened the military and Industry. Allied with France and England.

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Expansion beginsUnder King Victor

Emanuel I, son of Charles Albert, Count Camillo Cavour, the prime minister, made a treaty with France against Austria. Count Camillo Cavour

Sardinia and FranceAustria was the

greatest barrier to Italian unity.French Emperor

Napoleon III wanted to increase French influence in Italy.

Cavour hoped that with Austria out, Italian states would join with him.

War with AustriaSardinia provoked Austria to war and France

sent troops to help.Austria was quickly defeated in Italy.

States of Lombardy, Venetia, Tuscany, Modena, and Parma join Sardinia.

French signs treaty with Austria. Austria gets Ventia back. France gets Nice and

Savoy. Sardinia gets Lombardy.

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1859: Austria defeated

Italy gained Lombardy, but Austria kept Venetia

Unifying the SouthSouthern half of Italy was made up of the

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.Giuseppe Garibaldi was leader of

nationalistic movement.Formed and army of 1,000 men and captured Sicily

and Naples.Marched to Papal States.

Cavour thought that Garibaldi was becoming to popular and set up his own republic.

Garibaldi stepped aside for Sardinia.

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General Garibaldi drives out the Bourbons from Sicily and Naples

General Giuseppe Garibaldi

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Unification of Italy1861: Victor

Emanuel II crowned King of Italy

1866: Venetia regained from Austria

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1870: Papal States capturedThe French army was assigned to protect the

Papal States, but was called to join the fighting in the Prussian War.

The Italian army took the opportunity to capture the Papal States, thus adding central Italy to the union.

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Steps to Unification

Problems of UnificationPapal states were added to Italy by 1870 and

Austria was ran out of Italy in 1866.Few Italians had experienced self-

government.There were cultural differences between the

south and north.North was more industrial and south

agricultural.

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Constitutional Monarchy: 1870 - 1922Birth of modern Italy

Heavy taxation to pay war debtsParliamentary government new and strange

to many ItaliansEconomic growth supported the changes

The North

• Rich

• More industry

• Contained commercial farms

The SouthNatural Disasters

Poor soil

Peasants lacking land and capital Powerful

clans and mafia

This all lead to the economic and social backwardness of the south.

High unemployment rate

Economic Difficulties

1880s Italian industry was undercut by foreigners

1887 Government responded by

introducing tariffs

This lead to a tariff war

Whole areas of Italy were ruined

More Problems• Leagues that

supported socialist ideas were formed:

Fasci

• Strikes, riots and arson broke out

• 1894, the Fasci were banned and a

thousand people deported

• 1898, political parties and

organisations considered

subversive were banned

• Inflation

Economic development

So were there any economic

developments between 1880-

1914?b

Italy was lacking basic resources e.g.

coal and iron.a

Industrialisation in the North worsened

the North-South divide.

a

High taxes on the poor

The only positive point was the

industrial development in the North after 1900.

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World War I1915: Italy rejected its standing alliances

with Austria, Germany, and Hungary when Austria invaded Serbia. It joined the Allies (England, France, and Russia)

At the end of the war, the last two regions were joined to Italy: Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

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