2 - Political/Economic developments in Piedmont

Question 1

piedmont was the first italian region to..

Answer 1

have a partly industrialised economy

Question 2

piedmont had a thriving ___ industry

Answer 2

textile
wool silk and cotton
firmly established by the 1840s

Question 3

severe restrictions to industry as

Answer 3

in the north there was a lack of coal

Question 4

both silk and wool industries were predominantly…

Answer 4

domestic industries
labour intensive

Question 5

which industry dominated out of the textiles?

Answer 5

cotton
in 1844, there were approximately 114,000 domestic cotton workers in Piedmont

Question 6

cavour aimed to stimulate economic activity through..

Answer 6

railway building
low tariffs
free trade

Question 7

cavour and his beliefs on free trade

Answer 7

he believed it would promote political liberalism as feudal systems were taken away

Question 8

cavour encouraging foreign capital

Answer 8

mainly french
rothschild bank, laffitte bank

Question 9

gvoernment subsidies

Answer 9

resulted in significant growth
1853 electric telegraph linked Paris and Turin
1857 canal building started (first Cavour Canal)
improvements to La Spezia port

Question 10

La Spezia port

Answer 10

government subsidies modernised it
started to serve as the main naval base

Question 11

debt

Answer 11

in 1859 public debt stood at 725 million lire
but Piedmont’s economic status was changed for good

Question 12

what relied on communication advancements?

Answer 12

further development of Piedmontese cotton

Question 13

what did Cavour believe about railways

Answer 13

that large-scale railways would benefit piedmont
he said that no railways could stunt development

Question 14

what did Cavour do in 1835

Answer 14

he visited Britain and saw Robert Stephenson’s railway line

Question 15

what did Cavour do in 1846

Answer 15

reviewed railways in a French magazine
tried to persuade Charles Albert and his ministers of the benefits

Question 16

railways by 1861 (unification year)

Answer 16

40% of the 2000 km of Italy’s railway lines were in Piedmont
this gave Piedmont a claim to economic leadership

Question 17

when does Cavour become PM

Answer 17

1852

Question 18

cavour wasn’t afraid to do what as PM

Answer 18

use public money and french loans to build railway lines

Question 19

by 1858 (6 years as PM) what did Cavour do

Answer 19

280 million francs had been invested in Piedmontese railways

Question 20

when was the first section of a railway line with the french border opened? and where did it link

Answer 20

1854
linking milan, turin, genoa and french border

Question 21

Mount Cenis tunnel

Answer 21

work started on a railway tunnel through the mountain in 1857
13km

Question 22

by the end of the 1850s, how much track was in operation in Piedmont?

Answer 22

850km

Question 23

party system in piedmont

Answer 23

there was no real sense of party system. the 1849 election resulted in mainly liberal-minded politicians (left was more democratic and right more clerical)

Question 24

what did the lower house do in 1849

Answer 24

threatened to not approve the austria peace treaty
(despite the fact that they had no choice)
VE said he would abolish the constitution if they did not agree, so they were forced to concede

Question 25

Siccardi Laws causing controversy

Answer 25

under D’Azeglio (centre-right) these laws were passed they caused controversy with the right so D’Azeglio passed a Press Law which restricted freedom of the press

Question 26

when was cavour made minister of trade and agriculture (by d’Azeglio) and what did he do

Answer 26

1850 in 1851 he was given the position of finance minister and immediately undertook reform.

Question 27

what did cavour do as finance minister

Answer 27

1851 borrowed heavily from the London bank Hambro increased taxes signed treaties with states (Portugal, France, Britain, Belgium) 1850-9, trade increased 300%

Question 28

appointment of cavour as PM

Answer 28

1852 he was an opportunist (seen through the connubio)

Question 29

how was the connubio possible

Answer 29

the system was fluid - left/right groups existed, not parties in parliament, deputies often switched allegiances

Question 30

in parliament, the range of political opinions represented..

Answer 30

were limited even though they had an upper/lower chamber many politicians were indebted to important individuals, often landowners

Question 31

what did the connubio form its basis on?

Answer 31

the fact that both sides shared anti-clericalism (as the papacy supported Austria)

Question 32

who did cavour make the connubio with

Answer 32

1852 ratazzi (leader of centre-left) made it against the Press Law

Question 33

why did D’Azeglio resign

Answer 33

crisis over civil marriage which weakened his government

Question 34

what did Cavour propose in 1855

Answer 34

abolition of monastic orders not involved in education/charity. was approved. however he was forced to temporarily resign for this to be passed

Question 35

why did cavour end the connubio

Answer 35

strengthen his own government the church was not brought up by him again the 1850s he had had to resign over the 1855 monastic orders bill and didn’t want to again

Question 36

what was one of the first issues cavour had to deal with

Answer 36

mazzinian-inspired insurrection in milan in 1853 (he warned austria of the impending uprising to keep stability and received thanks from vienna)

Question 37

other than milan in 1853, when did Cavour stand against Mazzinianism

Answer 37

1857 when Pisacane’s insurrection failed

Question 38

mazzini’s ideas losing support

Answer 38

- leading supporters became increasingly critical of his tactics (garibaldi) - failure of 1848/9 revolutions - increased liberalism - national society published letters written by Orsini which revealed Mazzini as a dictator

Question 39

what did Antoni Mordini say about Mazzini

Answer 39

he is the “tyrant of our party”