Tag: national movements in europe

The Carbonari  were groups of secret revolutionary societies founded in early 19th-century Italy. The Italian Carbonari may have further influenced other revolutionary groups in France, Spain, Portugal and possibly Russia. Although their goals often had a patriotic and liberal focus, they lacked a clear immediate political agenda.

During the 1830s, Giuseppe Mazzini had sought to put together a coherent programme for the unitary Italian Republic. He had also formed a secret society called Young Italy for the dissemination of his goals.

This Code was exported to the regions under French control.

In 1867, Garibaldi led an army of volunteers known as Red shirts to Rome to fight the last obstacle to the unification of Italy, the Papal States where a French garrison was stationed. 

Mazzini is called 'Prophet of Italian Unification'. He established Young Italy movement. He preached the idea that Italian unification can only be possible with the foreign help and Austria is the biggest obstacle to unification.

Chief Minister Cavour who led the movement to unify the regions of Italy was neither a revolutionary nor a democrat. Like many other wealthy and educated members of the Italian elite, he spoke French much better than he did Italian. Through a tactful diplomatic alliance with France engineered by Cavour, Sardinia-Piedmont succeeded in defeating the Austrian forces in 1859.