Why was unifying italy difficult

Murat issued a proclamation to the Italian patriots in Rimini and moved north to fight against Austria in the Neapolitan War to strengthen his rule in Italy by military means. He was however defeated by the Austrian in the Battle of Tolentino in The desire for unification increased. Although the Kingdom of Italy established by Napoleon crumbled, and the Italian peninsula remained fragmented through the mids, the concept of a united Italy began to take root.

Revolutions of It quickly became clear to many Italians that Italy created by the Congress of Vienna was inefficient and ineffective. This was illustrated by hunger due to crop failures, the lack of employment and other necessities.

The ruling class remained idle, unmoved and unwilling to make changes. Secret societies were formed to oppose the newly established conservative regimes.

Several of these societies also promoted Italian nationalism and the idea of a unified Italian political state. One such society was the Carbonari, and it aimed to liberate Italy through armed uprisings.

The Carbonari were inspired by the principles of the French Revolution. Members were persecuted by the reigning authorities, condemned to death for even attending Carbonari meetings.

The society, however, continued to exist and was at the root of many of the political disturbances in Italy from until after unification. Giuseppe Mazzini was a member of the Carbonari and the creator of another organisation called Young Italy.

He is one of the most important figures that led to the Italian unification. Young Italy was formed in and aimed for the independence and unification of Italy and the subsequent establishment of a republic. This organisation tried to encourage young men to join and support the cause of unification. Thus, the movement of Italian unification, a process referred to as the Risorgimento, proliferated by the middle of the century.

Young Italy attracted the attention of Giuseppe Garibaldi, another iconic figure in the Italian unification. Garibaldi joined forces with Mazzini in and together they worked to accomplish their ideals. During his stay there, he participated in a couple of battles and raised an Italian legion named the Red Shirts. He was always thinking of his homeland though, and when a new pope was elected Pope Pius IX in , he saw an opportunity to return.

The new pope had already made some reforms that appealed to most of the Italians that wanted a change, including the exiled Mazzini. During the outbreak of the revolution in Palermo in , Garibaldi could no longer stay put and came back to Italy. Garibaldi returned amidst the turmoil of the revolutions in and offered his services to Charles Albert of Sardinia.

He offered assistance to the provisional government of Milan which revolted against the Austrians. In the course of the following unsuccessful First Italian War of Independence, Garibaldi won minor victories. The new pope soon proved to be of no use for the unification.

He ordered his troops to retreat and the rest of the revolutionaries were vastly outnumbered. A crushing defeat at the Battle of Novara in forced Garibaldi to move to Rome and support the recently proclaimed Roman Republic in the Papal States. The pope was forced to flee due to many Italians protesting against his previous decision. Napoleon III of France sent an army to return the papacy to Rome, wishing to gain favour with the pope.

Mazzini urged Garibaldi to take the defence of the city of Rome. Second Italian War of Independence Charles Albert was forced to abdicate during the revolutions, leaving the crown to his son Victor Emmanuel II, the third great figure of Italian unification. In Piedmont-Sardinia managed to secure a secret defensive pact with France.

One such society was the group Young Italy, founded in by Guiseppe Mazzini. Mazzini was an ardent advocate of the necessity for Italian unification through the desires and actions of the Italian people. Thus, the movement of Italian unification, a process referred to as the Risorgimento resurgence proliferated by mid-century.

The revolutions of ignited nationalist sentiment throughout the Italian peninsula. There were widespread uprisings in several Italian cities that year, mostly by the professional classes such as doctors, lawyers, shopkeepers as well as students. Lombardy-Venetia and Milan tried to rise up against Austrian rule. Although the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia sent troops to aid the revolt, it was crushed by the Austrians at Custoza in July The Italian uprisings were unsuccessful and by the old regimes were once again in place.

Yet, the idea of the Risorgimento continued to gain adherents after A skilled diplomat, Cavour secured an alliance with France. The Franco-Austrian War of was the agent that began the physical process of Italian unification.

By the end of the year Lombardy was added to the holdings of Piedmont-Sardinia. The northern Italian states held elections in and and voted to join the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, a major step towards unification, while Piedmont-Sardinia ceded Savoy and Nice to France. Giuseppi Garibaldi, a native of Piedmont-Sardinia, was instrumental in bringing the southern Italian states into the unification process. Landing first in Sicily and then moving onwards into Naples, Garibaldi and his men overthrew the Bourbon monarchy and turned over the southern territories to Victor Emmanuel II, King of Piedmont-Sardinia.

In early a national parliament convened and proclaimed the Kingdom of Italy, with Victor Emmanuel II as its king. At this point, there were only two major territories outside of the parameters of the new Kingdom of Italy: Rome and Venetia.

In , taking advantage of the fact that France the country responsible at the time for guarding the Papal States was distracted by involvement in the Franco-Prussian War , the Italian army entered Rome. During the summer of , the Italian capital moved to Rome from Florence it was moved from Turin to Florence in The Austrians suffered military defeats at Magenta and Solferino, and a ceasefire was agreed to at Villafranca. In the peace negotiations, Austria ceded Lombardy to France, which then ceded it to Piedmont-Sardinia.

The aftermath of the Franco-Austrian War brought about a series of plebiscites in the northern Italian states. By going to the ballot box, the states voted to join Piedmont-Sardinia, with the ultimate goal of unifying the entire peninsula. Count Cavour played a major role in the unification of Italy. He served as prime minister of the Kingdom of Sardinia from to and from to In under his leadership Sardinia and France fought a war against Austria. Began riots on the island of Sicily.

This was the first and largest opportunity for Garibaldi and he came to a financial agreement with King Victor Emmanuel II. Garibaldi captured Palermo, and he conquered the entirety of the Kingdom of Naples in September of He helped the build of the Kingdom of Italy.