Transcript why the italian 1848-9 revolutions failed

Why did they fail to unify Italy?
Exam question
 To what extent were the 1848 revolutions
caused by economic factors?
 CAUSATION – what makes things happen
 You would have 40 mins in the exam!
 A useful starting point …
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutions_of_1848_in
_the_Italian_states
Causes of the revolutions
General causes:
 Nationalist demands: get
rid of the Austrians, and
unite Italy.
 Liberal demands: political
freedoms, constitutions,
administrative reforms.
 Wider European crisis:
1846-7, harvest failures
caused unrest throughout
Europe.
Revolutions led by Italian states
Sicily
Causes:
 1830, Ferdinand II made King of Naples. Promised
reforms, but they did not last.
 1840s, a period of political repression.
 1840s, coincided with an outbreak of cholera.
1848, revolt:
 Call to arms by Sicilians, clashes with Neapolitan
troops. Fighting continued for months.
 Sicilians won and set up their own provisional
government. A separatist movement. – not for
Unification.
Naples
Causes:
 Ferdinand II.
 Followed on swiftly from the riots in Palermo, Sicily.
1848 revolt:
 Huge demonstration in the city of Naples.
 Ferdinand II agreed to a parliament, a national guard, and
freedom of the press.
 However, the peasants continued to revolt, and demanded land
reform (ie. redistribution of land). This was used as an excuse
to appoint a conservative government.
 Rising suppressed in Naples. The army was sent to suppress the
revolt in Sicily and reunification of Naples and Sicily was
forced.
Naples 1848
Other revolts followed on …
 February 1848, constitutions promised in Tuscany and
Piedmont.
 March 1848, the Pope promised a constitution for the
Papal States.
 Rulers of Modena and Parma had to leave their
duchies.
Success against Austria
 Milan (part of Lombardy at this time, controlled
by Austria) led the way …
 Tobacco boycott in Milan: started a successful
revolt against the occupying forces of Austria.
 Austria was busy with a revolt in Vienna.
 Venetia then also revolted against Austria, who
surrendered, and a republic was set up.
 Austrian Army retreated to the Quadrilateral, four
great forts in Venetia.
Success against Austria
 Piedmont: Charles Albert I was persuaded to
declare war on Austria by the revolutionaries in
Milan – an Italian leader!
 Garibaldi and his Legion arrived and fought the
King in the mountains.
The Empire Strikes Back
 Once the Austrians had resolved their internal
problems, things went wrong for Italy …
 The Austrians force-marched reinforcements
across the Alps under General Radetzky.
 June 1848, Charles Albert was defeated by the
Austrian Army at the Battle of Custoza.
 He returned to Piedmont after signing an
Armistice.
 Lombardy was left in Austrian hands.
 In Venetia, Venice was besieged by Austrian troops
The Empire Strikes Back
 Nine months after withdrawing from the war
defeated, Charles Albert rejoined the war.
 Possible reasons?
 He was heavily defeated – again! - by the Austrian
Army at the Battle of Novara.
 He abdicated as Monarch.
 Venetia was left fighting alone – the city of Venice
was actually the last Nationalist outpost to fall in
Italy, in 1849.
- the
Roman
Republic
The Pope – a Liberal???
The move against Catholicism:
 Many people hoped the Pope
would lead a unified Italy
 Pius IX was known as ‘the
Liberal Pope’
 The Pope's military commander
had disobeyed orders and taken
his army to join Charles Albert.
 The Pope distanced himself
from this with the Allocution,
which stated his intent: not war
with Austria, drew back from
the idea of a united Italy,
returning to absolutism and
reactionism.
Dilemma!
 Many nationalists in Italy
were also Catholics
(including Charles Albert).
 Where did their loyalties
lie?
 Most people ignored the
Pope.
 Many liberals and
nationalists became anticlerical.
 Not a united front against
the Austrians.
Mazzini and Garibaldi:
Events:
 ‘War of the Princes’ had failed,
now the ‘War of the People’.
 1849, the chief minister of the
Pope was murdered. Rioting
followed in Rome, and the
Pope fled to Naples. A republic
was established in Rome.
 March 1849, Mazzini arrived in
Rome and was elected head of
a Triumvirate (a council). Rule
was ”fair, enlightened and
tolerant”.
Mazzini and Garibaldi:
 The Pope asked for help.
An army of 20,000 was
sent by the (Second)
French Republic against
the Roman Republic.
 June 1849, Rome fell to
the French forces,
despite a strong defense
led by Garibaldi.
 1850, the Pope returned
to Rome
Overall reasons for failure
 Lack of co-operation between the revolutionary groups
 Liberals thought there should be constitutions in each state
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before unification; the radicals disagreed.
Different ideas about how to unify Italy:
 Mazzini and a republic.
 Pope Pius IX and a confederation (Gioberti)
 Charles Albert and a kingdom.
Provisional government were inexperienced and underresourced, and therefore easy to topple.
Lack of popular support except at the height of the revolts.
There was both a fear of radical social reform and a lack of
interest in liberal reform.
Pope disappointed many by issuing the ‘Allocution’
Military superiority of Austria once their own revolutions had
been squashed (perhaps the most important??).
Overall positive results
 The new Piedmont king, Victor Emmanuel II, was
patriotic.
 The defence of Rome brought Garibaldi to the fore.
 Piedmont became more liberal, with a constitution
‘Statuto’….this offered opportunities for members to
gain experience in Statecraft...
 Many nationalist refugees moved to Piedmont; it
became a ‘hotbed’ for nationalist ideas.