Piedmont - Risorgimento & KOI 1850-61 - b4

Question 1

Why was Piedmont chosen?
- Pol & Geo

Answer 1

• geographical position = remain independent & gradually acquire territory
• between Fr. & Aus. so could strike alliances
• politically well established = efficient bureaucracy & army

Question 2

Why was Piedmont chosen?
(Church)

Answer 2

• strong church influence = devout peasants remain loyal to church rather than monarchs or revolutionaries

Question 3

Why was Piedmont chosen?
(French Revolution)

Answer 3

Exposed to Fr. changes for longest period
- mc benefitted from promotions in army & civil service based on education due to fr. reforms & profited from church land sales = sowed seeds for discontent under restored monarchs
- peasants hostile bc of conscription & taxes & end of monastic foundations

Question 4

Why was Piedmont chosen?
(CA leadership)

Answer 4

• severe repression i.e strong censorship led to liberals like Cavour being exiled = discontent
• Corn Law ‘34 liberalised trade
• increased army to 70,000
• 1st sign of pol. reform by following Pope Pius IX in freeing press

Question 5

Why was Piedmont chosen?
(statuto)

Answer 5

Only constitution to survive the revolutions which attracted many political activists making piedmont a centre of both liberal and nationalist thought.

Question 6

Why Mazzini was a significant figure in the build up to unification

Answer 6

• converted/influenced many including Garibaldi
• organised propaganda campaign to influence Italians
• President of Rome in ‘49

Question 7

Mazzini less significant

Answer 7

• ideas too intellectual & radical - doesn’t appeal/gain support of majority
• absent from Italy for long periods of time - out of touch with the Italian situation
• lacked contact with & understanding of peasantry

Question 8

CA significant

Answer 8

• creation of statuto - tangible result of the 1848 revolutions
• introduced reforms i.e. the Corn Law ‘34 which made Piedmont the economic capital
• became more sig. due to VEII who kept Statuto

Question 9

CA less significant

Answer 9

Only became more significant as a result of VEII’s action of keeping the Statuto which gave Italians the opportunity for an active pol. life e.g free press & elected assembly
- noone subscribed to ‘Italia fara da se’ bc defeated twice by Austria

Question 10

Role of Cavour

Answer 10

-

Question 11

Role of Garibaldi

Question 13

What was the Plombieres agreement & its impact?

Answer 13

agreement between Napoleon iii and Cavour that Fr. would join Piedmont in a war against Austria
- Led to the creation of new kingdoms e.g upper iTRaly & Central Italy

Question 14

The role of Nap. iii

Answer 14

Italy needed Fr. support to remove Austria!!!
Took support of uprisings in Rome, enthusiasm and nationalism, grateful for piedmont for support in Crimea
- powerful figure who wanted unification, some were sceptical because he may just want France to become powerful.

Question 15

The War of 1859
(2nd war of independence)

Answer 15

• Cav. wrote anti austrian speech to increase nationalistic emotions.
• Cav. mobilised the Piedmontese army, no support from Napoleon.
• Apr 1859- Aus. sent a ultimatum to demobilise the piedmontese army which Cav refused. Aus. replied by declaring war on the 29th.

Question 16

Napoleons motives

Answer 16

• could not breach austrian defences esp. as forces diminished
• danger that prussia could attack france at his absence or could aid Aus. & Prusso - Aus. = invincible
• suspicious of cavours activities & growing criticism of Italy in Fr.

Question 17

The battles in the 1859 war

Answer 17

• slow to start, very unorganised on both sides
• poor org. meant N’s troops arrived before equipment & provisions
• Austria defeated twice by Fr.
• Solferino was incredibly bloody = 12000 Fr. dead

Question 18

The Settlement of the 1859 War

Answer 18

• war only lasted 7 weeks - Niii truce w/ Aus.
• Armistice agreed at VillaFranca but no Cav. consultation
• Pied. recieve L-V, first ceded to Fr. then VE.
  Franco-Sardinian victory at the Armistice of Villafranca.
  Rulers of the Duchies restored.
• Aus. kept Venetia & remained powerful influence in Italy!!! - unsuccessful
• Cavour ultimately resigns as a result