To what extent was the strength of foreign intervention mainly responsible for the failure of the 1848 revolutions? Flashcards
Austrians and French intervention-
Austria was initially weakened by the 1848 revolutions. March 1848 forced then to withdraw from Lombardy into the quadrilateral in Venetia.
Metternich fell in March 1848 and many liberals and nationalists assumed that Hapsburg’s enduring influence over the Italian states was over.
France- after the assassination of the prime minister Rossi, Pope Pius fled the city leaving it in the hands of the republican Mazzini for 100 days.
20,00 French forces took 2 months to enter Rome to crush Piedmont.
Reaction to the Papacy-
Papal allocution April 1848 signals that pope would not support any national cause and marks a turning point in attitudes towards a unified peninsula. Request foreign support to restore the temporal power as the papacy, crushing Gioberti’s dreams of Neo Guelphism and transforming the nationalist cause from pro-papacy to anti-papacy.
The role of the popes severely undermined the 1848 revolutions, but it is likely that Austria would have had the military captured regardless.
Piedmont’s weaknesses-
Although Piedmont had an independent army and a well-established, stable leader, the 1848 revolutions taught Charles Albert and VE II that foreign dominance could not be ended in Northern Italy by Piedmont alone.
Domestic support alone would not have been sufficient however, to change the outcome of the 1848 revolutions, get if Piedmont hand hard foreign support, the 1848 revolutions in the north would had a greater degree of long-term success.
Lack of revolutionary unity and popular support-
The revolutionary unity and popular support the revolutions served diverse and disparate aim: professionals classed in Milan and Venice were fighting for independence and a constitution, Sicily, Naples the Duchies and Piedmont wanted a secure constitution.
Rome and Venice desired republics
The lack of bonder support for the revolutions caused long term structure problem that not only cemented their failure., but also made it much easier for Austria to divide and rule.
Lack of international support-
Under Palmerstone’s direction. The British and French acted as mediators between the Austrians and the Piedmontese through the summer of 1848, resulting in the Armistice of Salasco August 1848 through this armistice Lasted less than 9 months. A rack or international support ensured that the invention of foreign power was the most important factor: should international support have been more forthcoming, northern revolutions such as the first war if Italian independence would have enjoyed more success.
Judgement:
It is self-evident that the 1848 revolutions sparked by the food shortages of 1847 and uprising elsewhere in Europe and that attracted Austria’s focus away from Italy, had long term structure that ensured that they were doomed from the start.