The Rise of Nationalism in Europe, Class X-History

Giuseppe Mazzini - He was a young revolutionary of Italy who played a significant in promoting the idea of a unified Italian state. He believed that God intended nations to be the natural units of mankind. At that time Italy was divided into a number of small states and kingdoms. During the 1830s, Mazzini tried to overthrow different monarchies and led a revolution to unify Italy. He also set up two secret revolutionary organizations, namely Young Italy and Young Europe. But the revolution failed and Mazzini was sent into exile. However, his ideas later inspired Cavour who ultimately unified in the second half of the 19th century. 
Count Camillo de Cavour - Of the seven states of Italy, only Sardinia - Piedmont was ruled by an Italian princely house. When the revolutionary uprisings of 1831 and 1848 failed to unite Italy, the responsibility to establish a unified Italy fell upon this Italian state. King Victor Emmanuel II was its ruler and Cavour was the Chief Minister.

Cavour led the movement to unify the separate states of Italy. He was neither a revolutionary nor a democrat. He had a powerful diplomatic alliance with France, which helped him to defeat the Austrian forces in 1859. Thus, in 1861, Italy was unified and Victor Emmanuel II was proclaimed as the King of unified Italy.

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