The Risorgimento – foreign policy

1. The Risorgimento – foreign policy PowerPoint by Michael Bae

2. The General Situation I Flaws • French and Italian politicians distrustful of the masses • Cavour – trying to enlarge North state, not unify Italy • Austrian troops driven out by the French and the Prussians (1866) • More Italians died fighting against government than for it in 1860 • Most who participated in uprising, Sicily (1860) didn’t know what “Italy” meant • 2.5% of population spoke Italian, 70% illiterate and uneducated • Garibaldi, Mazzini and other Nationalists disappointed with new Italy; did little to improve lives of Italians • Economic and Social structure kept intact • Austria ruled Northeast Italy until 1866 • Austria kept Trentino and South Tyrol in Northern Italy • Pope ruled Rome until 1870

3. Giuseppe Mazzini The General Situation II Flaws continued • State was unable and unwilling to tackle its weaknesses • This made Italy susceptible to Fascist ideas/appeals Domestic issues • Lack of popular involvement in making Italy; people did not identify with state • Mass of people didn’t get the vote • Unification process dominated by the Elite – against social reform • Pope hostile to new Liberal state • South not intended to be included • Debts from unification wars meant high taxes; diverted money from social reform expenditure Foreign policy • Reliance on foreign armies meant national inferiority complex, desire to show Italy was a great power Challenges • Left: mass peasant unrest in South was put down by 40,000 troops, strikes and riots in northern cities: 100 demonstrators shot, anarchists assassinated King Umberto • Right: move to set up more Authoritarian Government restricting individual liberty led to Giolitti’s attempt to reconcile real and legal Italy

4. Foreign PolicyI Key Problems - Opposition of Church • Pope told Catholics not to participate in the new sate • Priests helped stir up unrest amongst peasantry - Foreign Policy • Italia Irredenta: areas populated by Italians kept by Austria 1866 • Government had inferiority complex • Defeat at Adowa in 1896

5. Foreign Policy II • Aggressive foreign policy favored by some Italian liberals • Bismarck (German Chancellor 1871~90) described Italy as having a “large appetite but little teeth” • Italians dissatisfied because they never gained all the land they claimed on their Northeastern borders Land redemption and Colonization • Italian governments against possessing “unredeemed lands” • Governments also realized that they were incapable of taking on Austria • Successful foreign policy thought to make more Italians identify with the country – however, high cost of war may make them discontent • Italy wanted to rival Great Powers of Europe; gaining colonies • Had eye on Tunisia, but taken by France, 1881 • Italy joined anti-French Triple Alliance with Austria-Hungary and Germany, 1882 • Built up influence in Horn of Africa Military Defeat • Attempted to take over Abyssinia (Ethiopia), 1896, but defeated at Adowa • Italy suffered 15,000 casualties, Italian prisoners castrated – humiliating (unsurprisingly)

6. Foreign PolicyIII Italy Invades Libya • Italy invades, September 11th • Growing fears of French power • War relatively successful • Turkish empire handed Libya over to Italy in October 1912 • Benito Mussolini denounces war, militarism and corrupt parliamentary system though articles • Nationalist pleased by war but did not become supporters of Giolitti • Anti-nationalists claimed that an authoritarian government was needed if Italy was to become a truly great power

7. Problems in establishing unity • Instead of encouraging Italians to support the government the foreign policies caused the masses to go against the government, causing mass unrest which was met by repression • The country was seen weak by many • The government was having too many problems for efficient reforms to be set up, to make it into a more authoritarian government • There was not much support from the public and many did not even recognize the state • The south was not intended to be included in Italy and was met by mass peasant unrest

8. Summary • A single state was established, unifying the peninsula • they had planned to become a strong nation • System quickly perceived as weak and inefficient • Military failure further weakened the government’s image – Mussolini invades Abyssinia again a couple years later with success • A few measures taken to try gain recognition from the masses • Many of these measures failed; e.g. failure to gain colonies, humiliating defeat by ‘inferior’ African troops • Overall met with more failures than success