1850 - 1859

Question 1

Which state emerged as the front runner for leading Italy to unification by 1858?

Answer 1

Piedmont (due to political, economic and military reforms)

Question 2

How did Piedmont’s infrastructure evolve?

Answer 2

80 km of Railway - 1848
850km of Railway - 1858 (most of any Italian States)

Cavour Law 1851 - Private Companies could build and operate with state subsidies (encouraging investment)

Question 3

How did Piedmont’s banking system evolve?

Answer 3

National Bank Of The Kingdom Of Sardinia - 1853
Encouraged British and French investment into Railways
Introduction of Modern Tax System (supported Development and Military Spending)

Question 4

How did Piedmont’s trade evolve?

Answer 4

Treaties with France, Britain, Belgium, and the Zollverein (German Customs Union), drastically increasing exports.
Reduced tariffs and opened Piedmontese markets to foreign goods, while promoting exports of silk, wine, and machinery

EXPORTS DOUBLED FROM 1850-1859

Question 5

What caused these economic changes?

Answer 5

Shift from protectionism to economic liberalism

Less censorship allowed for ideas to spread (such as the ideas from Adam Smith and David Ricardo) hence why other states struggled

Question 6

How did these economic reforms impact government revenues?

Answer 6

Increased by 44% from 1850-1859 - providing funding for Crimean War and Second War Of Italian Independence

Question 7

What political reforms took place in Piedmont?

Answer 7

Decentralised power to local autonomy (improving efficiency and speed of decision making)
Increased middle class participation (who supported his economic reforms)

Question 8

What alliance was crucial to providing stability and allowing these bills to pass?

Answer 8

The Connubio (coalition of liberals and conservatives)

Question 9

What were the Siccardi Laws?

Answer 9

• Clergy could no longer be tried in separate Church courts — they were now subject to civil law like everyone else.
•Churches could no longer be used as places of refuge from the law.
•Restriction of Church privileges and immunities.

Impact:
• Marked a decisive shift in legal authority from the Church to the state.
• Created a modern, secular legal system, boosting the state’s legitimacy and appeal to liberals (IMPORTANT)
• Prompted angry reactions from the Papacy (Pope Pius IX condemned them), but strengthened Piedmont’s image as a progressive, modern state.

Question 10

Long Term Impacts Of Church Reforms

Answer 10

They won support from liberal elites and intellectuals across Italy and Europe, enhancing Piedmont’s international reputation.

Reduced internal resistance

The reforms also weakened the political role of the Church in Piedmont, reducing its ability to oppose unification later on.

BUT… The Church’s alienation from the new Italian state meant that many Catholics initially refused to participate in Italian political life — though this didn’t stop unification itself.