Dr. De Boer
1 December 2016
Garibaldi and Unification For many years, Italy was several city-states conjoined on the peninsula that is now unified. A sense of pride that the people of these individual city-states was overwhelming, which was a major factor in why Italy failed to unify itself for the longest time. Around the 1860’s one individual, Giuseppe Garibaldi, gained a voice among the discontent in Italy, to speak out against the actions of Cavour and Napoleon III. Garibaldi gained popularity and was one of the driving forces, along with Mazzini for the unification of Italy. Garibaldi was successful in his conquest to form one Italy, but it did not come without struggles, such as being forced to live in exile , which came from …show more content…
During this time, he focused his strong ideals, unable to help his native Italy, he sought to change Brazil in aid of the Farrapos and their quest to obtain Santa Catarina and announce it as a republic. Another significant role that Garibaldi played was in the Uruguayan civil war, in which he had an Italian force who wore red shirts, which were synonymous with Garibaldi. Things turned for the better when Garibaldi eventually returned to Italy in 1854, shortly before the Second Italian War of Independence that began in 1859, in which Garibaldi made a name for himself that would forever relate him to Italian unification. This began with a peasant uprising in the early 1850s in Sicily. Like many uprisings among peasants throughout history, the Sicilian uprising was focused “against taxes, prices, and oppressive landowners, ” this time however, Garibaldi was approached to make this small uprising into a large, national …show more content…
The military prowess that Garibaldi possessed allowed him best those that opposed him. His ability to connect with the discontent peasants and middle class of several city-states allowed him to allocate a fighting force that spread throughout Italy. The visionaries that he sought guidance from, such Cavour and Mazzini, gave him the knowledge to lead a revolution and brought to light an appreciation for Italy that provided him motivation to seek his goal. Garibaldi did not achieve unification just by himself, but what made him a key part in Italian unification was his ability to recognize a situation that would be advantageous and act on it. The man that embodies true leadership and knows how to make his actions count, changes history. Garibaldi was such a man and Italy would not be what she is today without him. Works Cited
Dickinson, John. “The Liberty Song.” 1768. http://amhistory.si.edu/1942/campaign/campaign24.html
Duggan, Christopher. “A Concise History of Italy.” Cambridge University Press. Print. 2014.
Gerwarth, Robert, Lucy Raill. “Fathers of the nation? Bismarck, Garibaldi and the Cult of Memory in Germany and Italy. European History Quarterly July 2009 vol. 39 no. 3 388-413.