1848 Flashcards
(15 cards)
What caused the 1848 Revolutions?
1847 - Bad weather, bad harvest, worldwide economic depression, lots of unrest, especially among poorest peasants.
1848 - Vienna had fallen to revolution, and revolutionaries in Italy saw this as a chance to revolt against Austrian hegemony.
Why did the 1848 revs fail?
Overpowered by french forces.
French defend the Pope.
Divisions between the Revolutionaries.
New king of Sicily retains the old constitution.
How did the Pope cause the 1848 revs?
released 2000 political prisoners
1847 - ends press censorship - allows liberal ideas to spread
Appointed Lib. Cardinal Gizzi & set up the consulta (similar to elected parliament)
These ‘reforms’ meant the Italian public felt that they had the backing of the Pope to push for greater reforms & began to see him as a potential candidate/leader for unified Italy
How did the conservatives regain power?
Revolutionaries wanted them to stay in place and share power.
Army stayed under control of the leaders and so did the civil servants and bureaucracy of each state.
Fear of revolution.
Able to react to revolutionary propaganda (prop, allocution- Pope said he would never declare a war against Austria).
The church.
Rome Republic 1848-9
Came about when the Pope went to Gaeta, temporary republican government.
No foreign support or support of other regions.
Free press still operated and the reforms encouraged other states to rise against govt, more representation within their reforms:
- secular education.
- land distribution.
Led by Mazzini/ Carlo Armellini/Aurelio Saffi. Declared a republic in 1849.
Important-
- inspired Italian nationalism.
- the defence of the RR by Garibaldi demonstrated the determination of Italian patriots to fight for a unified Italy.
- strengthened the long term cause of the Risorgimento.
Less important:
- Failure of the RR highlighted the diffuculties of achieving unification.
- Little practical impact on unification b/c it was short term
Venetian Republic 1848 ?? check with booklets
The Venetian Republic of 1848, also known as the Republic of San Marco, was a short-lived revolutionary state established in Venice on March 22, 1848, after an uprising against Austrian rule. Led by Daniele Manin, the republic sought independence and aligned with the broader Italian unification movement. Despite initial successes, including resisting an Austrian siege for over a year, Venice surrendered on August 22, 1849, due to famine and disease, marking the return of Austrian control.
First War of Independence 1848
Limited war fought by Piedmont-Sardinia for territory (he broke armistice), led to the abdication of Charles Albert, in favour of his son- CA exiled himself
Vignale Armistice March 1849- withdrawal of Sardinian fleet and essential surrender to Austrian forces.
and the fall of venice/ rome republic/ kingdom of Sicily
Fought for independence with Nationalist motives.
Initial victories but ended with an Austrian victory and return to status quo.
Demonstrated the DESIRE for unification but exposed the weakness of the existing fragmented states AND the might of Austria against regional armies.
Pope Pius Ix’s Allocution 1849
Rejected political ambitions in terms of unification and aimed to protect the Popes status.
Created a revolutionary atmosphere and resentment against the Pope.
How did nationalist fervour cause the 1848 revs
Expansion of civil society through arts etc = ideologies expanded as people became more educated & knowledgeable.
development of secret societies e.g Young Italy = clubs used as mask for political discussion.
1847 the acceleration of the speed/capabilities of the printing press meant that greater revolutionary ideas could be spread.
Thus the general mood was in favour of nationalism.
Was nationalist fervour less important 1848
Réaction rather than a cause.
Nationalist fervour was external.
Motivations most often not unification/ independence just liberals wanting shared powers with the monarchy.
Sicily/Naples 1848 revolution
Sicily:
- Jan 1848 uprising in Palermo due to poor living conditions => provisional govt. established
- FII refused to reinstate the 1812 constitution
Naples: Inspired by sicily
- uprising of Salerno Secret Societies
- FII forced to grant a constitution Feb 1848 = BUT CONSERVATIVE.
- May 1848 - FII able to reestablish autocratic govt.
Mazzini
converted/influenced many including Garibaldi through his book that articulated nationalistic ideas.
organised propaganda campaign to influence Italians
President of Rome in ‘49
Mazzini less significant
ideas too intellectual & radical - doesn’t appeal/gain support of majority
absent from Italy for long periods of time - out of touch with the Italian situation
lacked contact with & understanding of peasantry
His book never reaches the masses bc maj of population (80%) were illiterate!!
His actual attempts at revolution via Young Italy i.e. uprisings in Piedmont were unsuccessful
Charles Albert
Whilst never motivated by nationalistic fervour, CA’s actions accelerated Italian unification in much more tangible ways than the likes of Mazzini.
- creation of statuto - tangible result of the 1848 revolutions
- introduced reforms i.e. the Corn Law ‘34 which made Piedmont the economic capital
- became more sig. due to VEII who kept Statuto
CA less significant in the build up to unification?
Only became more significant as a result of VEII’s action of keeping the Statuto which gave Italians the opportunity for an active pol. life e.g free press & elected assembly
Made piedmontese troops swear loyalty to Piedmont = wouldnt accept volunteers from other states unless they swore loyalty
Wars he fought i.e. Custozza & Novara were in the name of PIEDMONT not ITALY
Sent troops to Lombardy too late as Radetzsky had withdrawn troops to quadrilateral to regain strength
Relied on Louis Nap. to aid in the defeat of Austria = he did not help!
Manin
The republic in Venita proved that a moderate republic is more popular and can be successful, suggesting that the radicalism of Mazzini was not necessary, with Manin being in favour of Italian unity + not anxious about annexation to Piedmont b/c he wanted to enlist French aid:
-> Unlike Mazzini’s Rome Republic, Manin was able to gain French support, with the Neapolitan general, Guglielmo Pepe, seconding him + led the Neapolitan army to defend Venice against his king’s order
-> Despite being arrested on a charge of high treason in January 1848, this only served to agitate of the Venetians + 2 months later, the people of Venice forced the Austrian governor to release Manin
-> Manin oversaw the revolutionaries seizure of control of Venice, taking over the Venetian Arsenal, and, under the direction of Manin, a civic guard and a provisional government were instituted, resulting in the Austrians withdrawing from Venice in late March + Manin becoming president of the Republic of San Marco
-> Despite resigning his powers to the Piedmontese commissioners in August, he returned as the head of a triumvirate govt in Venetia after the Piedmontese defeat at Custoza + (the armistice in which King Charles Albert abandoned Lombardy and Venetia to Austria)
-> Despite Austrians reoccupied all of the Venetian mainland towards the end of 1848, Manin was again chosen president of the Republic in 1849 + conducted the defence of the city, with the citizens fighting back the reoccupation
-> After the defeat of Charles Albert’s troops at Novara in March, the Venetian assembly voted to grant Manin powers
Manin- less important
-> In early October, followers of Giuseppe Mazzini tried to organize a great republican demonstration, hoping to gain aid from the French Second Republic, convert the city into a centre of Italian liberation, and inspire Garibaldi into an anti-Austrian crusade. But Manin, to avoid offending Charles Albert, suppressed them
-> In May 1849, the Venetians were forced to abandon Fort Marghera; food was becoming scarce; on 19 June, the powder magazine blew up; and in July, cholera broke out. The Austrian batteries, subsequently, began to bombard Venice, and when the Sardinian fleet withdrew from the Adriatic, the city was also attacked by sea
-> August 1849, Manin succeeded in negotiating amnesty to save Manin himself, Pepe and some others who were to go into exile. On 27 August, Manin left Venice on board a French ship
Despite the failure of the Venetian republic, the more moderate ideas of Manin had cemented themselves into the city + laid the groundworks for unification in 1866
-> Manin’s leadership was supported by the middle classes, and his support of the lower classes, combined with promises of law and order to the bourgeoisie, meant his leadership was popular
Papal states
Rebellions occurred which led to teh Pope fleeing to Gaeta under the protection of King Ferdinand II
Rome Republic established underGaribaldi & Mazzini, with Mazzini as the PM/President
Rome Republic eventually ‘collapsed’ & Pope reinstated by July 1849by teh Bourbon troops (Ferd II)
