Italian unification 1815-70 (textbook) Flashcards
What did Austrian statesman Metternich point out about Italy in 1815?
That it was only a geographical expression
How long had it been since the country experienced unity?
1500 years
Describe the state of Italy at this time
A collection of relatively small, often quarrelling states
Describe the mixed history of these Italian states
In the past there had been great wealth in cities such as Florence, Venice and Rome, together with impressive cultural achievements, but the country had rarely been free from war or foreign domination
Give an example of this mixed history in action
While the likes of Da Vinci and Michelangelo were creating their great works of art during the Italian Renaissance of the 15th and 16th centuries, Italy had been the battleground of Europe, as French and Spanish armies fought for supremacy
Describe the states in 1815
They were for the most part politically reactionary and economically underdeveloped
What did reactionary mean in this context?
Hostile to parliamentary or democratic government, dismissive of individual freedoms and deeply suspicious of change
Where was the most determined reaction to abject poverty to be found?
In the south, in the Kingdom of Two Sicilies
What dominated central Italy?
The papal states, over which the pope was not only the religious but political ruler
What could you find further north?
The small states of Modena, Tuscany and Parma, and the more economically advanced Kingdom of Piedmont, in Turin
Describe Lombardy and Venetia
They contained the cities of Milan and Venice and were ruled by the Austrian Empire
What did the period after 1815 witness?
An Italian literary and cultural revival known as the risorgimento
What does risorgimento translate as?
Resurgence of rebirth
What was this movement?
It lamented Italian divisions and foreign domination, called for a new sense of Italian patriotism and demanded the political unification of the country
Who did this movement particularly attract?
Students and the small professional classes, principally in the north
