Analyse the Political Factors Involved in the Unification of Italy Up to 1861
Analyse the political factors involved in the unification of Italy up to 1861
Political factors played a huge role in the unification of Italy, both hindering and increasing the possibility of unification up to 1861. In this essay I will evaluate the most important factors that eventually led towards unification such as republicanism, Piedmont and Cavour, and wars such as the Crimean War. I will also discuss the factors that decreased the chances of unification including the congress of Vienna, the role of foreign powers such as Austria, and the role of the Papacy. By the end of this essay I will decide which political factor was the most important in terms of the unification. However, there are other factors heavily involved in the unification, such as the uprisings and revolutions, and the division between the revolutionaries.
The Congress of Vienna in 1815 resulted in the separation of states in Italy and this greatly hindered the progress towards unification. The congress resulted in the restoration of the former rulers of these states including King Ferdinand II to Naples. Ferdinand was an oppressive ruler which led to a poor way of life for the people in this region. The congress also led to the public’s patriotism to their state instead of the whole of Italy. This meant it would be difficult to unite the people, which was needed if the whole of Italy was to be united. The economic and political fragmentation following the Congress added to this problem as there was no political or economic unity. This prevented the unification of Italy in the long term as it was increasingly hard for any revolutions to occur and if they did, they were largely unsuccessful because of the economic and ideological divisions.
The role of foreign powers was also a problem with unification. The key problem was with Austria as their control over Italian states, especially their army in the Papal States, made it hard for the people to overthrow them. However, the power of
Political factors played a huge role in the unification of Italy, both hindering and increasing the possibility of unification up to 1861. In this essay I will evaluate the most important factors that eventually led towards unification such as republicanism, Piedmont and Cavour, and wars such as the Crimean War. I will also discuss the factors that decreased the chances of unification including the congress of Vienna, the role of foreign powers such as Austria, and the role of the Papacy. By the end of this essay I will decide which political factor was the most important in terms of the unification. However, there are other factors heavily involved in the unification, such as the uprisings and revolutions, and the division between the revolutionaries.
The Congress of Vienna in 1815 resulted in the separation of states in Italy and this greatly hindered the progress towards unification. The congress resulted in the restoration of the former rulers of these states including King Ferdinand II to Naples. Ferdinand was an oppressive ruler which led to a poor way of life for the people in this region. The congress also led to the public’s patriotism to their state instead of the whole of Italy. This meant it would be difficult to unite the people, which was needed if the whole of Italy was to be united. The economic and political fragmentation following the Congress added to this problem as there was no political or economic unity. This prevented the unification of Italy in the long term as it was increasingly hard for any revolutions to occur and if they did, they were largely unsuccessful because of the economic and ideological divisions.
The role of foreign powers was also a problem with unification. The key problem was with Austria as their control over Italian states, especially their army in the Papal States, made it hard for the people to overthrow them. However, the power of