Piedmont was in the best political and economic position to lead the unification process by 1861. How far do you agree with this statement?

Question 1

What did Piedmont’s role as the dominant state in the Italian peninsula allow it to do?

Answer 1

Divide in kingdom into 53 provinces, each governed by a prefect.

Question 2

What did Piedmont, as the dominant Italian state, impose across Italy?

Answer 2

A unified legal, judiciary, currency and measurement system across the peninsula.

Question 3

How did Piedmont’s role as the dominant Italian state help the unification process?

Answer 3

It helped the process of political unity, and the unified currency helped economic unity, but it did little to help the divisions of real Italy that could be politically problematic in the long term.

Question 4

What did the Piedmontese strength create the sense that?

Answer 4

It was one state conquering the others

Question 5

How could did Piedmont enforce military dominance amongst the southern states?

Answer 5

In the Brigands war a Piedmontese army of 120 000 was deployed.

Question 6

How did Piedmont’s political and economic dominance create the Brigands war and actually hinder unification?

Answer 6

Tax increase and conscription were all imposed

Question 7

Describe Piedmont’s role in unity?

Answer 7

Piedmont often provided a platform for unity rather than facilitated it

Question 8

What happened to Piedmont’s debt when it took on smaller state’s debt?

Answer 8

Doubled to 4.9 million lire

Question 9

When did Piedmont take on smaller state’s debts?

Answer 9

1861

Question 10

What does Piedmont’s taking on of smaller state’s debt show?

Answer 10

That they were committed to the cause of unity and were prepared to take on a burden to achieve it

Question 11

What had Piedmont’s role at Solferino in June 1859 meant for the cause of unity?

Answer 11

Piedmont had established precedent of fighting for the cause of unity

Question 12

What groundwork had Cavour done to ensure a good international relationship with Britain by March 1860?

Answer 12

Took part in the Crimean war 1854-56

Question 13

What did the relationship with Britain allow Cavour to do in March 1860?

Answer 13

Use the national society to hold plebiscites in Modena, they voted in favour of Piedmontese annexation

Question 14

What does the plebiscite regarding the annexing of modena show?

Answer 14

That the people thought that Piedmont was in the best political position in northern Italy to lead unity

Question 15

Though what didi victor emmanuel II show himself to be a potential leader for unity?

Answer 15

The “Grado di Delore” speech in 1859

Question 16

What did Victor Emmanuel claim to be in his 1859 Grade di Delore speech?

Answer 16

The first soldier of Italian unification

Question 17

What two international meetings helped Cavour to establish good international relations?

Answer 17

Congress of Paris and the Pact of Plombiers

Question 18

What does the fact that Garibaldi gave VEII southern Italy at the Teano meeting in October 1860 show about VEII?

Answer 18

That even radicals thought that the Piedmontese monarch was a strong political leader for a untied Italy

Question 19

Which two states were annexed to Piedmont after Garibaldi had conquered them by plebiscites?

Answer 19

Naples and Sicily

Question 20

What caused lasting damage to Piedmont’s reputation as a pro unity force?

Answer 20

Piedmont had stopped garibaldi from taking Rome in 1860, forever tainting it with resentment from the nationalist cause

Question 21

What did Piedmont lose in July 1861 that weakened it politically?

Answer 21

Cavour, the architect of unity

Question 22

Name an 1861 weak successor to Cavour

Answer 22

Ricasoli

Question 23

How could you describe Ricasoli’s contribution to Italian politics?

Answer 23

Perhaps even weakened the Italian cause, and was emblematic of the political turmoil in the Italian state

Question 24

What about Piedmontese politics hampered their ability to create real political unity?

Answer 24

They had failed to broaden their electorate, the parliament of noblemen and educate middle classes were elected by just 2% of the population

Question 25

What states did France gain that can be looked upon as a failure of Piedmont?

Answer 25

Nice and Savoy

Question 26

Which two countries maintained their control over many parts of Italy?

Answer 26

France and Austria

Question 27

Did the pope support Piedmont?

Answer 27

No

Question 28

Describe the relationship between the Pope and the Italian kingdom

Answer 28

Fractious cohabitation

Question 29

Why was the pope angry with Piedmont?

Answer 29

⅔ of the Papal states had been annexed to Piedmont

Question 30

What about the Catholic church undermined Piedmontese legitimacy?

Answer 30

Refused to accept them as the leader of Italy

Question 31

What were the two events from which Piedmont was excluded?

Answer 31

1) Treaty of Villafranca
2) October 1860 Prussia, Russia and Austria met in Warsaw, where Russia broke diplomatic relations over the unseating of bourbon rule in Naples