Description and Analysis

1. Why does Mazzini appeal to Charles Albert, of all the rulers, to wage a war against Austria?
   Charles Albert ruled Kingdom of Sardinia – the greatest of the Italian States which was not under the authority of a foreign dynasty (the Habsburgs or the Bourbons). Mazzini perceived him as a candidate for a ruler of the unified Italian state after getting rid of Austrian forces (which were seen as a symbol of German captivity).
2. Why is Austria the biggest obstacle to the unification of Italy?
   The northern duchies of Italy (Lombardy, Venice, Parma, and Modena) were under the sovereignty of Austria. These Italian regions were economically strong and important for the Italian people in terms of their cultural and historical value. It was difficult to imagine the state unification without the recovery of these regions. Among the opponents of unification, Austria was the strongest. Defeating Austria was absolutely necessary for successful unification of Italy.

Geographical/Historical Context

Italy in the mid-nineteenth century, was a country divided politically. However, there was a movement (known as the Risorgimento) that had developed for decades. The goal of this movement was the reconstruction of the political consciousness of the people living in Apennine Peninsula and the creation of national state under the rule of the native dynasty. The most important activists of the movement were Giuseppe Garibaldi and Giuseppe Mazzini. Their program not only assumed the political unification of the peninsula, but also profound social reforms in the spirit of democracy – freedom and equality of all Italians. Actions of Italian patriots (and uprisings initiated since 1820) could not count on success for a long time because of the collaboration of forces opposed to the idea of the unification and radical socio-economic ideologies. We mean here three conservative monarchies which shared control over most of Apennine Peninsula among themselves: the Habsburgs, the Bourbons of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and popes (who at that time, had full political and territorial power over the Papal State).

Therefore, the Italian movement for national liberation needed a strong and well-connected ally who would head the fight, first of all, against Austria. The ally also needed to have adequate authority to gather under his banner majority of Italian society, which would recognize him as the king and the unifier. The ruler of Kingdom of Sardinia from the House of Savoy (who also ruled Piedmont) seemed to be an ideal candidate.

Beginning of 1848 seemed to announce a new era in the history of Italian states. It aroused hopes for realization of the unification program. On January 12 that year, an uprising broke out in Palermo. As a consequence, King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies was forced to give his country a liberal constitution. The revolutionary movement quickly spread to other countries of the peninsula. Liberal constitutions (so-called fundamental statutes) were announced in Tuscany, Sardinia, and even in the Papal State which was ruled by Pope Pius IX who was considered a liberal. The Habsburgs were obviously reluctant to any reforms of the Italian duchies included in the boundaries of the empire. However, due to the revolutionary events in Vienna, they were forced to evacuate Austrian troops from Lombardy and Venice in March 1848. It seemed that everything was favourable to Charles Albert, who could easily gather newly formed national republics under his rule. Such a political system was introduced even in Rome, where Garibaldi and Mazzini went. The ruler of Savoy, however, did not show enough charisma and determination. As early as in July, Marshal Radetzky, who commanded the Austrian forces, defeated the Italian army in the battle of Custozza. In the south, Ferdinand II forced the Sicilian insurgents to surrender by resorting to violent methods (bombing of Messina). The Pope was rescued by intervention of French troops which in July 1848, put an end to the Roman Republic. Charles Albert for a few months waged war against Austria and abdicated in favour of Victor Emmanuel II after the final defeat in battle of Novara in 1849. The Spring of Nations did not bring unity to Italy, but it represents a very important step towards unification.

Links

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/504489/Risorgimento – Encyclopaedia Britannica page that contains information not only about the Risorgimento movement, but also references to the people, events, works of art related to the Unification of Italy.

http://www.victorianweb.org/history/risorgimento/1.html – website dedicated to the Unification of Italy in the vertical portal dedicated to the whole Victorian era.

http://www.regione.piemonte.it/cultura/risorgimento/iindex.htm – page of Museum of the Risorgimento in Turin.

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-214397236.html – article on the relationship between the Risorgimento movement and cultural unification of Italy.