1850-59 The Rise of Piedmont Flashcards
What was the legacy of the 1848 revolutions for Piedmont?
- Charles Albert’s legacy was a ST blow for Italy but was a lesson in the LT for the need of foreign support in order to achieve unity, also introduced the Statuto which was the only tangible result of the revolutions for Italy, giving people the opportunity for an active political life in Piedmont (something not seen elsewhere) - however of the two parliamentary chambers, the upper was appointed by the king and the lower only represented 2.25% of the population
- VEII succeeded his father and had control of much of the politics, direct control of the army and rights to appoint/dismiss ministers at will (an autocratic ruler with strong links to Austrian imperial family e.g. his wife)
- Piedmont attracted political refugees, 30,000 in Turin and Genoa in the 1850s - free press, elected assembly, legal equality and some civil liberty made it attractive
What happened to Mazzini following the 1848 revolutions?
- Mazzini alienated important potential supporters - failed to reach out to peasants and had little appeal, ideas too intellectual for most which limited support, failed to communicate effectively, was too radical so liberals deemed him “dangerous”, rich people disliked him as he wanted to redistribute wealth, foreign support was limiting if Mazzinian republicanism remained (however disappearance of this republicanism and neo-guelphism meant there was less division as nationalists had fewer choices in who they supported - turn to Piedmont)
What happened to the Pope and Rome following the 1848 revolutions?
- in 1849 the Pope excommunicated all who tried to reduce the papacy’s temporal power, returned to Rome in 1850, supported by 20,000 French troops, and denounced all his earlier reforms
What happened to Austria following the 1848 revolutions?
- Austria’s military dominance now stronger than ever, the Venetian Republic now under tight Austrian control
What happened to Naples and Sicily following the 1848 revolutions?
- Neapolitan rule re-established and the 2 Sicilies now forcibly reunited
What happened to most of the constitutions that had been passed in the 1848 revolutions
- constitutions in most states were now suppressed and revolutionary spirit destroyed
How did Mazzini fail in the 1850s?
- Mazzinian tactics were weak and had limited support
- was absent from the movement for 40 years in total
- 1851-2 attempted revolution didn’t win support
- in 1851 and 1852, Mazzinian secret societies were infiltrated by Austrian authorities
- 1853 failure of uprising damaged reputation - 50 revolutionaries shot in direct aftermath
- 1854 Garibaldi distanced himself from Mazzini
- 1855 Manin announced his support fro Piedmont
- 1857 Pisacane’s insurrection resulted in his suicide after being met with Neapolitan forces
- 1857 many Mazzinians joined the National Society showing the end of Mazzini
What did Mazzini do for the unification movement in the 1850s?
upon exile in London, founded the National Italian Committee in 1851 - attracting widespread support of radical sympathisers
What were the 4 stages of Piedmont’s development?
- a “sympathetic” monarch
- political stability
- economic stability
- diplomatic strength
How was VEII a sympathetic monarch meaning he could encourage nationalism/unification?
- allowed the Statuto to remain
- appointed Massimo d’Azeglio as PM in 1849 who controlled a moderate, conservative administration (means developments will not be reversed)
- ambiguous in political views, Britain saw him as a cautious liberal, Austrians saw him as conservative, also considered courageous, lazy (may allow political developments without interference)
- didn’t wish for the Catholic church to hold influence over Piedmont (doesn’t like the reactionary Church rule - potential to become figurehead for liberalism)
How might VEII potentially hinter unification?
- mother and wife both part of Austrian imperial family
- educated and trained to be an absolute monarch (may suggest autocratic, repressive rule)
- retained the right to command the army, appoint and dismiss ministers at will
- one of first actions as king was to shell Genoa where radicals were entrenched
- his administration included several of the 25 military men who were to hold ministerial roles during his reign (inhibits change but promotes stability)
How did Azeglio create political stability in Piedmont?
- appointed as PM in 1849 to head a moderate conservative government (only had a small parliamentary majority so weak)
- allowed the passage of the Siccardi Laws
- attempted to appease the right (who were upset with the Siccardi laws e.g. Balbo) by proposing reduction in press freedom (however had upset the Pope and his ministry fell when trying to introduce civil marriage in 1852)
What did the Siccardi Laws do?
passed in 1850 - controlled the power of the church: abolished separate law courts for priests (challenged the Statuto), abolished criminal rights to seek protection in churches, property rights of church restricted, number of feast days restricted (shows determination to modernise) - when Archbishop Fransoni ignored these measures he was imprisoned
What was the Connubio?
Cavour’s centre alliance with the centre-left leader, Ratazzi (who was appointed President of the Chamber of Deputies) - aimed to strengthen parliament against the crown, and to weaken Azeglio’s government
When did Cavour become Prime Minister, creating political stability?
1852
