The Unification and Consolidation of Italy 1815- 1890 Background to the Period

Context 18th century was dominated by kings and empires Divine right of kings (monarchs were appointed by God and so were answerable only to God) Absolute monarchs, with little influence from Parliaments The exceptions to this rule were: The Netherlands, Venice and Switzerland- all republics (conservative in nature and both had overseas empires) Britain- constitutional monarchy- elected parliament (however only land owning people could vote and parliament also consisted of unelected nobles and churchmen)

Wright of Derby, "Experiment with an air pump"

The Enlightenment Austrian, Prussian, Russian and Spanish rulers of the 18th century were called “enlightened despots” Aimed to modernize their lands while controlling the people They were enlightened because they tried to use some of the reforming ideas of the time period (the enlightenment) Despots on the other hands meant they ruled absolutely

The Enlightenment There were forces of change occurring in the 18th century: Theories about the legitimacy of power- social contract theories American Revolution 1774- 1783 encouraged the spread of republican ideas- those who are taxed had a right and a saw in the passing of laws

Spread of Revolutionary Ideas 1789 Revolution in France- calling of the Estates General by Louis XVI during the financial crisis French people demanded rights and freedoms- republican ideas French Monarchy was at war against its own people- 1792 the French Republic was proclaimed and in1793 Louis XVI is executed The revolutionary ideas spread outwards into Europe from France

Spread of Revolutionary Ideas French generals brought these ideas wherever they went (and they were brilliant too) such as Italy and Germany Liberty, Equality and Fraternity (brotherhood) Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen- people were citizens rather than subjects and therefore had the right to vote

Spread of Revolutionary Ideas Prior to the 18th century, Italy and Germany were many small independent states headed by their own absolutist rulers Napoleonic Wars 1792- 1815- these states were partly unified under French rule and therefore French ideas took hold there This undermined the 18th century tradition of loyalty to monarchs

Spread of Revolutionary Ideas 1799 Napoleon established his rule in France and became emperor in 1804 Napoleon became a focus for national feeling He brought modern style administration and law to Italy and Germany He inadvertently sowed the seeds of resistance After the fall of Napoleon, the ideas of right to nationalities independence, will of the people represented in assemblies and elected parliaments- did not go away- they survived It would be these revolutionary ideas that set the stage for the unification of Italy and Germany

Romanticism 18th century saw a revival of classical forms in art and culture By 1815 romanticism spread- express feelings of the human rather than respect for authority and empires Personal feeling expressed in freer forms- celebrating the wonders of nature and man The individual not the community was now celebrated Romanticism meant less respect for authority; individuality, freedom of expression and acting on those feelings was considered right and good

Romanticism Dress and manners became less formal, a renewed interested in what brought individuals together- language, nationality, feeling of connectedness The old world order that was being restored by the Congress of Vienna was replaced by romanticism, liberalism and romanticism

Terminology and Definitions The political spectrum- let’s go! Complicated time period- we must understand how the terms relate to then and how they are meant now….they are different and even in the 18th century there was little agreement to actual definitions Let us assess our results

Liberalism Latin liber, meaning free- 19th century meaning a belief in political freedom Freedom from absolute monarchs and states Freedom under the law- right to a fair trial Freedom to express political views Freedom to elect parliaments to discuss laws These ideas originate from the American Declaration of Independence 1776 and the French Declaration 1789 Natural right of all mean to be free

Liberalism Also refers to economic freedom- government should NOT interfere with people’s desires to improve their lives through their own efforts No taxes on trade- less taxes on the economy would mean less taxes needed on people’s labour Capitalism

Liberalism Religion- people should be free to choose whether to believe in and practice religion or to have none- churches should not IMPOSE their beliefs The limit that liberals placed on freedom was that it should not restrict the right to freedom of others Do not mistake this with a belief in ‘the people’- most 19th century liberals felt the only people who should have a say in society are those had a share in it (property owners, business owners, elite/wealthy)

Liberalism Democracy to liberals was flawed in that it gave power to the ignorant voice and the uninformed educated classes Remember Napoleon had used democracy as a way to gain support, essentially by exploiting their ignorance Social reforms were not supported- if you help those in need it gets in the way of their responsibility to their own lives (so what do they think of universal health care?) Do not raise taxes- people should be free to keep what they earn

Reactionary Reactionaries were those who were against liberal ideas- reaction against change Defenders of established order and tradition Austria, Prussia, and Russia were reactionary states- Clemens von Metternich of Austria: respect for traditional authority keeps society stable Monarch, aristocracy, the Church

Nationalism Belief in progress and happiness will follow if people of the same nationality live in the same state Language or culture is what bound people together, not loyalty to a monarch However not all Nationalists believed the same issues For Germans- Grossdeutschland- greater Germany Kleindeutschland- northern Germany Italy was the same- north and south differences What united all Nationalists was a dislike of foreign rule

Republicans Nationalists were sometimes republicans- an end to hereditary monarchy Few of these however- even the radicals still looked at a constitutional monarchy as the best system

Summary Understand what Italy was like before 1815 and what problems were faced by those who wished to unite them Understand the various attempts to unit Italy before and during 1848/1849 and the reasons for their failures Understand why changes after 1849 made unification possible in Italy and make a judgment about the personalities involved Understand the developments after unification and make a judgment about how well the rulers of Italy coped with the problems that arose because of unification