Revolutions of 1848-49 - booklet 3

Question 1

What were the main 2 aims of the COV?

Answer 1

• to return the borders of Europe back to the status quo
• to prevent further revolutions

Question 2

Which were the 2 authorities/states that the Italians looked to as potentially uniting Italy?

Answer 2

• Piedmont
• Papal States

Question 3

What were the main causes of the 1848 Italian revolutions?

Answer 3

• Foreign influences of Paris, Vienna & Germany
• Pope & his reforms
• Economic issues
• Nationalist fervour

Question 4

How did Foreign influences cause the revolutions?

Answer 4

• number of successful revolutions across the globe i.e. Paris & overthrowing of the Bourbon regime, German states united under 1 ruler. - Italians saw successes & inspired to revolt
• Vienna settlement redrew territorial borders - Presence of Aus. rule in Italy = feel oppressed & want to revolt against new rulers

Question 5

Pope Pius IX’s reforms

Answer 5

• released 2000 political prisoners
• 1847 - ends press censorship - allows liberal ideas to spread
• Appointed Lib. Cardinal Gizzi & set up the consulta (similar to elected parliament)
  These ‘reforms’ meant the Italian public felt that they had the backing of the Pope to push for greater reforms & began to see him as a potential candidate/leader for unified Italy

Question 6

Economic problems

Answer 6

Widespread crop failure = food prices rose
This lead to widespread social discontent as many reliant on agriculture for income & food. Thus the population desperate for reforms/revolts.

Question 7

Nationalist fervour

Answer 7

• Expansion of civil society through arts etc = ideologies expanded
• development of secret societies e.g Young Italy = clubs used as mask for political discussion.
  Thus the general mood was in favour of nationalism.

Question 8

Main reasons the revolutions failed

Answer 8

• Divisions between revolutionaries:
  ethnic divisions between revolutionaries & do not communicate with eachother esp. in Sicily & Naples
• Lack of popular support: most revolutionary movements exclude maj. of population (peasantry) so lack popular support, fear of revolutions being too revolutionary!
• Foreign intervention:
  1848 Piedmontese crushed by Aus. at Custozza & expelled from Lombardy, 1849 defeated at Novara so even at its strongest, lead state Piedmont cannot defeat Austria at its weakest - easily crushed by foreign powers !!
• Divided aims & aims for future Italy: Sicily wanted seperatism, most wanted unification
• conservatives still able to maintain power

Question 9

Main reasons the conservatives maintained power

Answer 9

• monarchy still controlled armed forces = can be used to crush rev. & crucial to rev. success
• used church to spread propaganda = maj. influence as Italy v. religious
• Those that feared revolutions (majority of urban Italians) looked to conservatives for restoration

Question 10

What happened in the Papal states during the 1848 revs?

Answer 10

-

Question 11

What happened in Naples-Sicily during 1848-9 revs?

Answer 11

Sicily:
- Jan 1848 uprising in Palermo due to poor living conditions => provisional govt. established
- FII refused to reinstate the 1812 constitution

Naples: Inspired by sicily
- uprising of Salerno Secret Societies
- FII forced to grant a constitution Feb 1848 = BUT CONSERVATIVE.
- May 1848 - FII able to reestablish autocratic govt.

Question 12

How did CA lead to the failure of the revolutions?

Answer 12

• Made piedmontese troops swear loyalty to Piedmont = wouldnt accept volunteers from other states unless they swore loyalty
• Wars he fought i.e. Custozza & Novara were in the name of PIEDMONT not ITALY
• Sent troops to Lombardy too late as Radetzsky had withdrawn troops to quadrilateral to regain strength
• Relied on Louis Nap. to aid in the defeat of Austria = he did not help!

Question 13

How did Pope Pius IX cause the failures of the 1848 revs?

Answer 13

• April 1848 issuing of Papal allocution which stated that he wouldnt involve himself in the war against Austria = crushed hopes that he would be a potential leader of a united Italy
• Most of Italy = deeply religious catholics = chose the Pope over revolutionary ideals, called for conservatism

Question 14

WARG: Mazzini was more significant/important in outcome of the 1848

Answer 14

• Creation of Young Italy 1831 = acted as a political base for the development and articulation of the ongoing nationalist narrative & inspiring Italian expats & most significantly GARIBALDI = did he pave the way for Garibaldi’s success?
• Ability to articulate intellectual arguments for nationalism inspired beyond revolutions
• The failure of the Rome Republic proved that a radical approach = not an option

Question 15

SARG: Mazzini as less important in the outcome of the 1848 revolutions

Answer 15

• Post 1848 Mazzini becomes IRRELEVANT - inability to lead revolutionaries can be seen in the failed Rome Republic which only lasted 3 months vs Daniel Manin’s Venice Republic along w/ failed uprisings in 1853 & 57

Question 16

SARG: Garibaldi as most important/significant in the outcome of the 1848 revolutions

Answer 16

• Ability to mobilise & inspire troops from the lower classes & although his rev. failed, his volunteers were still able to frustrate French troops for weeks.
• Became a popular figure & his image, honed over decades, was utilised for the risorgimento movement
• More effective/visible in promoting ideas of IN through his actions

Question 17

WARG: Garibaldi less significant in the outcome of the 1848 revolutions

Answer 17

• His actions, especially in the outcomes of 1848 - namely his expeditions, undermined the process of Piedmontisation - the mechanism of Italian unification
• His actions were often ill though through, his impact was more down to luck rather than skill; such as the seizing of Sicily!

Question 18

How did the Rome republic fail to have impact?

Question 19

How did the r.r sow the seeds for unification

Question 20

How did the Venetian republic fail to have impact?

Question 21

How did the venetian republic sow the seeds for unification?

Question 22

How did the 1st war of independence fail to have impact?

Question 23

How did the 1st war of Italian independence sow the seeds for unification?