Italian unification
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Near the begining of 1848, nationalism and patriotism flourished throughout Europe. This resulted in two major countries being formed. The first was Italy in the Italian unification. The second was Germany in the German unification.
Risorgimento (also called Italian unification or unification of Italy) refers to the Italian movement for independence, literally meaning re-birth in the Italian language. It truly began in 1848, in a series of revolts which swept through Italy with the fall of Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, the Austrian Chancellor. It succeeded in 1859 through the efforts of Count Cavour, the Piedmontese prime minister, as well as Giuseppe Garibaldi. - an Italian national hero, who united the South, thus allowing King Victor Emmanuel to become the first King of Italy.
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[edit] Nationalist uprising
Prince Metternich of Austria once said that Italy was a "geographic expression". Basically, he called it a place and not a country at all. The people of Italy remembered and longed for the glorious days of the Roman Empire. One Italian patriot said "we need a new Italy, a united Italy, the Italy of all Italians." But after the Congress of Vienna, most of Italy had been broken up into small territories under foreign rule. Many Italian Nationalists struggled for independence.
[edit] Sardinia's conquest
Victor Emmanuel of Sardinia saw a great vision of a unified Italy. He wanted Sardinia to be a model for the unification of Italy. To do so, he started many public works, projects, and political reforms. Sardinia was soon recognized as an emerging power. The next step for Sardinia's conquest was to get Austria out of the Italian Peninsula. With the Crimean War breaking out between France and Britain on one side, and Russia on the other, Sardinia saw a chance to earn some respect and make a name for itself. Britain and France proved victorious, and Sardinia was able to attend the peace conference. As a result of this, Sardinia gained the support of Napoleon III.
[edit] War with Austria
In 1858, Sardinia and France secretly plotted a plan of attack against Austria. The following year, Sardinia put its plan into action and declared war on Austria. By Sardinia's encouraging nationalist revolts in Austrian-held territories in Italy, Austria was provoked into the war. Following the battles of Magenta and Solferino, France drove Austia out of Lombardy, but Austria still held onto Venetia. At this point, France dropped out of the war, fearing a unified Italy might be a threat. This ended the war, with Austria keeping Venetia.
[edit] Unification complete
Meanwhile, the Italian nationalist Giuseppe Garibaldi led a nationalist uprising, combining the states and territories into a full Republic. As Sardinia ended the war, Garibaldi gave most of the provinces to Sardinia. In March 1861, a parliament of all of Italy except Rome and Venetia, agreed on unifying Italy with Victor Emmanuel as its first king.
