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Giuseppe Mazzini and His Ideas
Guizppe Mazzini and Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Mazzini was an Italian nationalist leader who became a great contributor to the Unification of Italy. He was born in 1805 in Genoa; he became a lawyer and actively participated in a secret Independence group named Carbonari. They were secret revolutionary societies that formed in Italy with the ideas of patriotism and liberalism. It was founded in the early 19th century and greatly contributed to the Italian unification and influenced several movements in other European countries like France, Spain, Russia, etc.
Mazzini was arrested and imprisoned for his revolutionary activities and later moved to Marseille, where he founded the main organization that inspired thousands of people to join the Italian national movement that is Young Italy. He founded several other organizations that are rooted in the principle of nationalism like Young Europe, People’s International League, and Friends of Italy; he has influenced many people across the European continent with his activities and ideologies.
Young Italy
The organization was founded to establish a united, republican Italian nation. The repeated failures of the Carbonari groups to establish a free and united Italy have prompted him to found a society that is strong enough to overcome the challenges of the unification. The objective of Young Italy was to educate the people regarding their political rights and to fight for the freedom to organize a republic for the entire nation. He strongly believed in the unity of the people and its power to establish a powerful republic; the unification of the people will ultimately lead to the unification of the country. To get more momentum for the movement the ideas need to be influencing the people and to spread the ideas Mazzini published a journal named Giovine Italia.
During the initial days, the ideas and the movement were restricted to a few people but at a later stage, more than 50000 people were influenced by the ideas. In the northern Italian regions like Liguria and Piedmont, the ideas of Young Italy spread like wildfire because of their access to more publications and literacy skills. The majority of the participants of the movement were from the middle class and it always remained a middle-class movement. The organization under the leadership of Mazzini has tried many methods to overpower the ruling class but miserably failed due to the lack of popular support. Later his influence got reduced with the rise of other leaders and Piedmont being the leading state for the unification.
Mazzini believed in his ideas and it was not limited to Italy alone he dreamt of greater Europe and also made many initiatives to encourage movements that were rooted in nationalism. To achieve this purpose, he has established Young Europe in the year 1834.
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi was a revolutionary leader of the Italian unification, and he was very well known for his conquests of Sicily and Naples with his guerrilla Redshirts. He has contributed immensely to the national movement and unification of Italy. Garibaldi came under the influence of Mazzini and his revolutionary ideas when he served in the navy of the kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia. Mazzini was a prominent nationalist thinker during that time. During his early attempts at revolution, he faced several setbacks and went into exile to other continents and places. He spent much of his time in South America and trained himself as a revolutionary through many conquests and polished his skills. He got trained in the methods of guerrilla warfare and after the battle of Sant’Antonio in 1846, he become a prominent figure in Europe and especially in Italy.
Liberation Movement
In 1848, Garibaldi with his forces arrived in Italy to fight for their unification and to overpower their arch-rivals Austrians. As a revolutionary and nationalist he offered his service to Pope Pius IX, and Charles Albert, the king of Piedmont-Sardinia, but they refused his proposal by judging their self-trained guerrilla forces. Garibaldi did not stop there; he fought for Milan with his forces and was successful in their battles, but later they retreated due to certain reasons.
He has the conviction that a strong Italy can be formed with the unification of city-states. He also reminded them about the importance of forming a republic for better administration and liberation. With his strong influence, he become the deputy of the Roman Assembly and later fought with the French forces and strongly defended the territory when they came for restoring the papal state in Rome. He refused to surrender during this conquest, which become an important factor in celebrating his as a champion. He strengthened that belief by proving his ability in better administration and military skills, he also tried to establish a better connection with King Victor Immanuel II, intending to establish a unified Italy but in many instances, they had differences of opinion.
The most significant conquest that established his supremacy in the region was mainly the conquest of Naples and Sicily. He received popular support in this region because they believed that he was there to liberate them from slavery and feudalism. He captured Palermo, which become a remarkable military success for him in Europe.
Garibaldi also won the Battle of Milazzo, and later he entered Naples through a lightning campaign and proclaimed himself as the “Dictator of the Two Sicilies”. He fought one of the significant battles in his career on the Volturno River north of Naples, with the support of 30000 men under his command.
Questions
Qns 1. How did Giuseppe Mazzini and Garibaldi influence the Italian national movement?
Ans. Giuseppe Mazzini and Garibaldi have shown their courage and patriotism while fighting for the cause of a unified Italy. Mazzini strongly believed that the involvement of the people and their uprisings would be able to create a strong Italy. On the other hand, Garibaldi strongly believed that a powerful Italy could be formed through the unification of city-states. Both of them attracted large sections of the population to follow their nationalist feelings towards a unified Italy.
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