5 Steps to a 5TM AP European History

(^156) › STEP 4. Review the Knowledge You Need to Score High
In addition to political divisions and foreign interests, the Italian peninsula was also
divided by economic and cultural differences:
• The northern areas of the peninsula were well developed economically and more sophis-
ticated culturally than the still largely rural and agricultural areas of the south.
• Culturally, the people of the more developed northern region felt little connection to the
poor peasants in the south, who often spoke an entirely different dialect.
• Socially and politically, the middle-class merchants and manufacturers, located mostly in
the north, wanted a greater degree of unity for easier trade and tended to support liberal
reforms; they were opposed by the staunchly conservative, traditional landed elites.
Italian Nationalism to 1850
Italian nationalism had been forged in opposition to Napoleon’s rule. After 1815, dreams of
a unified Italy were kept alive in secret societies like the Carbonari, secret clubs whose mem-
bers came mostly from middle-class families and from the army. In 1820, the Carbonari had
briefly succeeded in organizing an uprising that forced King Ferdinand I of the Kingdom
of the Two Sicilies to grant a constitution and a new Parliament. But Austrian troops, with
the blessing of the Concert of Europe, crushed the revolt. The Austrians put down a similar
revolt by the Carbonari in Piedmont from 1831 to 1832.
In the 1840s, Giuseppe Mazzini’s Young Italy had carried the banner of Italian nation-
alism. Both a Romantic and a liberal, Mazzini fought for the establishment of an Italian
republic that would serve, as he believed ancient Rome had, as a beacon for the rest of
humanity. By mid-century, Mazzini had forged a movement known as the Risorgimento,
which was composed mostly of intellectuals and university students who shared his ideal-
ism. From 1834 to 1848, the Risorgimento attempted a series of popular insurrections,
briefly establishing a Roman Republic in 1848 until it was crushed (like its liberal coun-
terparts throughout Europe) by the forces of reaction. In defeat, it was evident that the
Risorgimento had failed to win the support of the masses.
Cavour and Victory over Austria
At mid-century, Count Camillo Benso di Cavour, the chief minister of King Victor
Emmanuel II of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, emerged as the new champion of
Italian nationalist hopes. Cavour differed from Mazzini and other previous leaders of the
Italian nationalist movement in several significant ways:
• Cavour was a conservative aristocrat with ties to the most powerful Italian ruler on the
peninsula, rather than a middle-class intellectual.
• Cavour advocated a constitutional monarchy under King Victor Emmanuel II, rather
than a republic.
• Cavour was a cautious and practical statesman, rather than an idealist.
Cavour’s strategy was that of an opportunist: he sought to increase the amount of ter-
ritory under the control of Piedmont whenever possible and to weaken the opponents of
Italian unification by playing them against each other. Between 1855 and 1860, Cavour
took advantage of several such opportunities and managed to unite all of northern Italy
under Piedmont:
• In 1855, Cavour brought Piedmont and its army into the Crimean War on the side of
England and France, who were fighting Russia. This resulted in no immediate gains, but
the peace conference afforded Cavour an opportunity to denounce the Austrian occupa-
tion of Italian lands.
• In 1858, Cavour reached a secret agreement with Napoleon III of France, gaining a
promise of French support should Austria attack Piedmont.
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