Between 1861 and 1870, Piedmont was the main reason for national disunity. How far do you agree with this statement??

Question 1

Between 1861 and 1870, Piedmont was the main reason for national disunity. How far do you agree with this statement??

Answer 1

Between 1861 and 1870, Piedmont was the main reason for national disunity. How far do you agree with this statement??

Question 2

Piedmont

Answer 2

Piedmontisation- implementing Piedmontese political systems across Italy without any regional consideration for the South. Cavour had never travelled further south than Tuscany, nothing in place to alleviate existing pre existing socio-economic divisions between the North and south. 53 decrees changes within 2 days in Naples, all customs, coinage and measures standardised in 1861 yet only 57% had been converted into lire by 1870 showing Piedmontese economics hadn’t transcended to rural areas. This was a short term problem where one state was conquering all the others, allowing no autonomy
-Brigands war- 90,000 Piedmontese troops against 85000 brigands in 1863, civil war claimed more lives than all 3 wars of Italian independence and came about by Piedmonts introduction of mandatory conscription which took young men away from farms in the south. Civil war shows a massively distinct lack of unity in a country and came about from Piedmonts.
IN THE LONG TERM, PIEDMONTS POLICIES HEIGHTENED PRE-EXISTING SOCIO-ECONOMIC DIVISIONS
-Politics- Lombardy promised autonomy but this was swept aside by piedmontisation, showing it wasn’t limited to negatively impacting just the south.
-Only 2% could vote, 75% of country was illiterate, lack. of political parties or unions which would bring people together politically

Piedmont clearly had the capability to govern its own politics and finance but this couldnt be said about the whole country. Their systems weren’t applicable everywhere, no more so than the south, and therefore they worsened social, economic, and political unity to the greatest extent of all factors. They were forced into action by actions of Garibaldi, and were then blamed because they were the ones in power

Question 3

Economic and social problems

Answer 3

Debt- By 1866 deficit repayments had taken up 60% of national expenditure, resulting in the 1865 flour tax and reintroduction of the unpopular grist tax in 1868 which led to 250 deaths and 1000 wounded in reactionary revolts. taxes were regressive and clearly making an already bad economic situation in the south much worse.

• 30% of all food was used for debt repayments, the south were barely subsisting food already so this worsened the living standards as a result of Cavour’s previous economic reforms in the North. Increased resentment from south against the North for making things worse, increasing disunity.
• Dual economy- as a result of such regressive economic policies, the difference In prosperity between the north and south was known an a dual economy, and although land reforms in the form of nationalising church land benefited peasants in the north (9 million acres sold off), it was bought mostly by middle class people in the south, reducing the extent to which economic divisions were reduced by decreasing the wealth inequality already prevalent in Italian society
• Transport- Milan in the north was connected to many European cities by roads, and there were 2773KM of railway by 1861, yet sardinia and Sicily had 0KM at the same time. The port of Genoa was modernised during the 1850s with the first steam ship ‘the sicilia’ being built there. This difference in transport made inter and intraregional trade more difficult, fuelling the difference in prosperity and therefore disunity between differing socio-economic groups (north and south)

This was Piedmont once again creating disunity, but indirectly this time.

Question 4

The Papacy

Answer 4

Fractious cohabitation- Pope endured long period of fractious cohabitation With Piedmont, after losing 2/3 of his kingdom by 1861. As 90% of people were catholic, his impact was widespread. He relied on the French garrison to defend him until 1870.
-Syllabus of errors 1864- pope declared that he had control over all religion, education, and science, and that. no one was allowed political or religious freedom of expression that wasn’t in accordance with catholicism. He therefore refused to modernise the papal state, in comparison to Piedmont who had negotiated economic reforms. created disunity because more progressive thinking people were forced to choose between the church and state for education, wealth etc
-Piedmonts response- in response to the syllabus of errors, 2382 monasteries were attacked to pay for education, increasing resentment and disunity between state and pope. This had indirect effects on socio-economic problems because whilst education was mandatory under the casati, lower classes were illiterate and therefore didn’t benefit, whilst the churches that were attacked previously provided charity to lower classes, further increasing wealth inequality as a result of Piedmontese actions.
-“whited Sepulcres” ‘nest of vipers’
Pope temporal power declined more towards spiritual power so realistically his impact on political divides became more limited compared to piedmontisation because it was these policies which fuelled southern famine, the dual economy and the brigands war. Pope had limited impact over these. A lot of his actions were in response to Piedmont however. Even in 1870 he considered himself a prisoner in the vatican and insulted the state

Question 5

Line of argument-

Answer 5

Piedmont directly and indirectly were a massive source of disunity across italy despite aiding the geographical unity of italy by 1870. Piedmontisation and economic reforms for the south didn’t create new disunity however, it was the re-ignition and exacerbation of pre existing division between social, political and economical factors between the north and south primarily.However Piedmont was blamed for many sources of disunity because they were in charge, and were provoked by the radical work of nationalists and the attacks of the church which caused them to take severe action, which led to disunity. Whilst the pope had masses of influence, much of his actions were in response to Piedmont policies, making them yet again responsible for disunity indirectly.

Question 6

Foreign powers

Answer 6

Facts- French occupation in Rome considered a socio-political divider because it meant Italy never had its ‘spiritual heartbeat’. Created divisions between nationalists and Piedmont, Garibaldi tried to march on Rome in 1862 and again in 1867 (after the September convention 1864) which led to a subsequent return of the French until 1870. Nationalists angered by inability of Piedmont to take Rome back from France. G’baldi shot by Piedmont troops, looks to be state attacking nationalists but they were actually trying to stop France staying longer.

• France proposed moving capital from Turin to Florence, which resulted in 23 deaths from riots in Turin and Minghetti getting sacked.
• Italian losses to Piedmont in the battles of Lisa and Cuztozza against Austria were damaging for nationalists feelings of pride, and it was only with the help of France that Venetia was ceded to italy. Nationalists felt there was too much influence on the future of italy by foreign powers.

As time goes on, feelings towards France begin to change and the nationalist hopes of taking Rome are fulfilled despite Garibaldis failed attempts. Cant be considered biggest problem because without French help their would’ve been much more geographical disunity in the north, as France removed Austria. more of an issue in the short term as Piedmont wasn’t strong enough among great powers.