The Unification of Italy

[Music] Rome the national capital of Italy is the center of modern Italian government the effort to create a unified Italian government is the story of our film The Story begins in 1805 with Napoleon a man of Italian parentage as a French Emperor Napoleon in 1805 invaded Italy a loose collection of independent almost feudal States as king of Italy Napoleon instituted a number of reforms for example the single enlightened Napoleonic Code called for a number of political and civil reforms among these were land reforms The Peasants were allotted more Farmland freedom of the press was encouraged such reform stimulated the hopes of Italian nationalists who wanted a unified country this hope seemed destroyed with the defeat of Napoleon losing Napoleon Ian's protection Italy fell under the domination of Austria and the Austrian Prime Minister Prince meik metnick headed the Congress of Vienna which in 1815 redrew the boundaries of Europe metnick proposed the restoration of the former Italian rulers and at the close of the Congress the Italian Peninsula was carved into seven main territories Sicily the kingdom of Naples the Papal States the duchies of Tuscany Modina and Parma Lombardy of Venicia which was occupied by Austria and Sardinia pedmont there were several obstacles to unifying these states Rome was the source of one major obstacle in Rome highly placed members of the clergy feared that if Italy were unified under a single government the Church might lose some of its temporal influence so many clergymen refused to support the cause of Italian unification a second obstacle to unification was Regional differences in Northern Italy centers of Industry were developing in the South however the people were mostly uneducated p peasants who scratch to Bear living from the poor soil despite these Regional differences in Italy groups of Patriots formed part of a movement called resiment seeking out those political figures who block the way to reform government these Patriots Often by stealth agitated for free government between 1815 and 1820 through such means as assassination these Patriots thus hoped to provoke General uprisings that would end the injustices of the ruling governments between 1820 and 1830 there were uprisings but all failed in 1830 in the city of Genoa a new group took up the cause of Italian unification this group young Italy consisted mainly of youthful intellectuals and was under the leadership of Joseph marsini a brilliant lawyer moini was one of the great moving forces of nationalism in Europe during the 19th century to get some idea of marsini's strong influence let's listen as two members of Young Italy persuade a friend to join their movement our setting is a Tavern in Genoa the year is 1830 Patriot towards the people people of Italy of course I'm a patriot but what would you have me do Georgio we want you to join young Italy with us our leader mzini has called for democracy in Italy he says a democracy is a government for the progress of all through all under the leadership of the wisest and the best and he wants us to bring this about marsini says place the youth at the head of the Insurgent masses you do not realize what a strength is in these young men you mean Revolt that's been died before and hundreds were killed yes but we would all rise up at the same moment the tyrants wouldn't stand a chance we would have an independent republic look read what moini has written our Italian republic would be radiant and would move as an angel of Light among the Nations that thought her dead as an angel of Light all right I'll join young Italy while young Italy worked to unify Italy as a republic another plan to unite Italy as a constitutional monarchy was being formed in the Kingdom of Sardinia pedmont the king of Sardinia pedmont Victor Emanuel II was the only constitutional Monarch in Italy in the mid 19th century count kavor The Mastermind who shaped the successful plan to unify Italy was the Sardinian prime minister here at his ancestral home cavor occasionally worked on his plan to unite Italy to understand cavour's plan listen to this conversation between one of Victor emanuel's Court officials and an aid sent by cavor count cavor asked that you give this to his majesty at once Sardinia what does he mean Sardinia will lead our country to high Destinies here again cavor spouts unification but every Revolution every Uprising every Italian effort for Freedom has failed this time Italy will not go alone what Europe will do the job of unification the nations of Europe for centuries have interfered in the Affairs of Italy for their own good so so according to count kavor they will now interfere for Italy's good but I don't see here let's look at the map to unite Northern Italy Austrian troops must be driven out of Lombardy Venicia we sardinians can't do it alone we need help France will give us that help why France because we'll be their allies in a war against Austria not right away First We join the cran war against Russia Russia yes our allies in the cran war will be England and France when the war is over we have two powerful friends England and France exactly next we trick Austria into declaring war on Sardinia who comes to our rescue France of course right together with the French we drive the hated austrians out of Italy and then unification for the northern provinces [Music] the plan worked and in 1859 Austria was maneuvered into declaring war against Sardinia and as kavor had foreseen the Sardinian Army was joined by Napoleon 3D at the head of crack French [Music] troops though Austria was not completely driven out of Italy the war had triggered successful popular uprisings in several cities the citizens of these areas voted to join the newly established Kingdom of Italy by 1860 this unified area included Sardinia Lombardy Tuscany Modina Parma and the papal state of Romania savoo and nce were seated to France now came an effort to unify southern Italy the leading role in this effort was played by Joseph garabaldi The Liberator of southern Italy so powerful was gal's personality he was able to enlist an army of 1,000 Fierce volunteers this B group of Patriots in 1860 sailed from Genoa with the daring plan to liberate southern Italy from its despotic rulers at marcala Sicily garabaldi landed today this statue near Masala commemorates the army of the Thousand who fought their way against enormous odds through Sicily garabaldi then invaded the mainland moving northward in a series of Battles Through the kingdom of Naples The Showdown battle came at the volturno river where amid bitter fighting gabal and his army defeated decisively the forces of the king of Naples gal's camp campign had progressed almost too well fearing garabaldi might next take Rome which was protected by a French Garrison kavor sent an Italian Army to meet gal's Volunteers in Naples to prevent what might become a civil war garabaldi met with Victor Emanuel and agreed to withdraw from Sicily and the kingdom of Naples in favor of Victor Emanuel during 1860 Sicily Naples and two more Papal States voted to join the Kingdom of Italy further unification took place in 1866 when Austria finally seated Venetia only Rome now remained outside the kingdom Rome historically the capital of Italy was also the seat of the Catholic Church which continued to oppose unification thus Rome was the center of a bitter dispute between government and church officials a dispute expressed here by an Italian state official and a Papal leant monor I put it to you bluntly the Kingdom of Italy desires Rome as its capital the pope is aware of that for the pope to have French troops defend the city against such a desire amounts to an insult against the Kingdom of Italy since the dawn of Christianity the popes have ruled over the political Affairs of Rome your king Victor Emanuel proposes to usurp these Powers I will not listen Rome was is and always shall be the capital of Italy to have Rome as our capital is not merely a right it is a necessity then you mean you won't stop short of war the pope has already stated that Victor Emanuel is a usurper forgetful of every religious principle despising every right trampling upon every law so now I put it bluntly to you if Victor Emanuel dares to take Rome by force France and every other Catholic Nation will crush him and the Kingdom of Italy the Rome situation remained stalemated until 1870 when Italian troops rushed through this gate in Rome and captured the city in September following the removal of French forces King Victor Emanuel immediately ordered a pleboy taken and by an overwhelming vote the people of Rome in 1870 declared their desire to join the Kingdom of Italy this massive Monument to Victor Emanuel in today's Rome commemorates the final unification of Italy in 1929 a relatively small part of Rome was termed Vatican City and to the present day it exists as the temporal independent domain of the popes totally separate is the government of Italy this government represents a nation of people who fought hard for their unity and Independence today Italy is a strong and vital force in the Affairs of West Western Europe [Music]