| Revision as of 00:34, 21 February 2004 editSkyfaller (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users965 editsm spelling corrections← Previous edit | Revision as of 10:20, 26 February 2004 edit undo61.6.54.11 (talk)No edit summaryNext edit → | ||
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
| '''Count Camilio Benso di Cavour''' was the statesman who presided over ], the architect of the ] ], and the first ] of the new Kingdom of Italy. | '''Count Camilio Benso di Cavour''' was the statesman who presided over ], the architect of the ] ], and the first ] of the new Kingdom of Italy. | ||
| ==Growth and Studies== | |||
| Cavour was born in ] in ], the principal city of ] in north-western Italy, and at that time the capital of the Kingdom of ] (also known as the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia), ruled by the Italian House of ]. Born into a noble Piedmontese family, he was expected to enter a respectable career, which he did, becoming a ] ] in the Sardinian Army. However, because of his radically ] views, he was pressured to leave the army and resigned in ]. After his military career he travelled across ] studying ] and ]. | |||
| Cavour's studies of government and his experiences during the July ] ] in ] reinforced his liberal views. The successful ] set up under ] convinced him of the effectiveness of ]. Cavour, caught up in the ] fervor of the early ] also yearned for a united Italy. Cavour's study of agriculture excited his interest in ] and ]. These three attributes - a strong belief in liberalism, an extensive knowledge of technology, and the dream of a unified Italy - allowed him to modernize Italy both politically and technologically. | |||
| ==Early Political Career== | |||
| With the election of the liberal ] to the papacy in ], Cavour felt that the chance for him to advocate reform had come. In ] he founded '']'' ("The Resurgence," later to become a general term for the unification of Italy), a newspaper espousing liberalism, constitutionalism, and unification. As editor, he soon became a powerful figure in Sardinian politics. | |||
| During ], a wave of violent revolutions swept Europe. The uprising in the ] terrified ] of Piedmot-Sardinia. Pressured by the influence of ''Il Risorgimento'' and by the mood of dissent in his kingdom, Charles Albert granted Sardinia a Charter of Liberties on ], ]. Exhilarated with this success, Cavour then turned to urging Charles Albert to decalre war against ], which at that time ruled much of Italy through petty ] vassals. The perfect opportunity arose on ] when news arrived in Turin that ] was in revolt against its Hapsburg ruler. On ], caving in to pressure from Cavour and his party, Charles Albert declared war on Austria. | |||
| Although Sardinia was defeated by Austria at the ] and Italian revolutions were crushed in ], Venetia, and Milan, liberalism and nationalism in Italy were still resurgent - in the July elections of ], Cavour won a seat in the Sardinian Chamber of Deputies, and after his defeat by the Austrians, Charles Albert abdicated in favor of his more liberal and powerful son, ]. Under Victor Emmanuel's monarchy, Cavour's political career flourished. He became Minister of Agriculture and ] in 1850 and Minister of ] in ]. | |||
| After the failure of the ] to overrun monarchies in Europe, Cavour reassessed his liberal beliefs and decided to abandon his idealism for ]. Cavour reasoned that even if Italy could not be united by revolution, strong and calculating leadership might stand a chance. In his first two government positions, Cavour worked hard to strenghten Sardinia, reorganizing its army, legal system, financial system, and ]. He also encouraged the development of industry, including building railroads and factories, making Sardinia one of the most modernized European states of the time. | |||
| ==Path to Unification== | ==Path to Unification== | ||
Revision as of 10:20, 26 February 2004
Count Camilio Benso di Cavour was the statesman who presided over Italian unification, the architect of the Italian Constitution, and the first Prime Minister of the new Kingdom of Italy.
Path to Unification
In November 1852 Cavour became Prime Minister of Piedmont-Sardinia. As Prime Minister, Cavour finally had an opportunity to extend his power into the realm of foreign affairs. In 1854, at the outbreak the Crimean War, he saw his opportunity to enhance his nation's international standing. Sardinia entered the war {February 1855} as an ally of Great Britain and France in exchange for promises that the future of Italy would be seriously considered as an international issue. After the war, Cavour used the Congress of Paris as an opportunity to denounce the neutral Austria's occupation of Italy.
Cavour was not the only important leader to rise to power in 1852 - that same year, Napoleon III became Emperor of France. Napoleon, a quasi-liberal, sympathized with Cavour's plan for Italian unification, and in July 1858 the two met at Plombières to shape Italy's future. At the meeting, Napoleon agreed that if Austria was to attack Sardinia, France would protect her. Cavour immediatly set to provoking Austria into war, and in April 1859 Austria attacked the small Italian state. However, after extremely costly victories at Magenta and Solferino, Napoleon III decided to withdraw from the war with the Truce of Villafranca. The treaty allowed the Austrians to keep Venetia and transferred the territories conquered by the Sardinians to their former rulers. Sardinia received only Lombardy. Although Cavour was furious at Napoleon, the situation soon reversed itself when the citizens of Tuscany, Modena, Parma, Bologna, and Romagna voted through plebiscites in March of 1860 to become part of Sardinia. Napoleon recognized these annexations in return for Savoy and Nice.
Soon after, the Italian patriot Giuseppe Garibaldi led his famous army of a thousand red-shirted adventurers into the Hapsburg-Controlled Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (May 1860), and Victor Emmanuel led his troops into the province of Umbria. The kingdoms voted for union with Sardinia, and the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed in March of 1861. Cavour's territorial aims were complete except for Venetia and Rome - two months later, the Prime Minister died, his dream of a united Italy nearly fufilled. Venetia was added to the kingdom in 1866, and Rome in 1870.