FRQ on Italian Unification

2. Contrast Mazzini and Garibaldi's revolutionary views with those of revolutionaries in France.


Mazzini and Garibaldi were both revolutionaries of the nineteenth century in Italy. Both men played a role in Italian unification, however, they had different ideas. These men can be compared to revolutionaries from the French Revolution. Mazzini and Garibaldi, unlike Robespierre and Napoleon of France, had good intentions of making their country a better place, based on the idea of helping and listening to smaller communities of the country, yet neither man was successful until they had help from a more powerful leader. 


Mazzini was in touch with the lower classes of Italian principalities. He believed that the key to making Italy a better, unified country was to make the wealthier, richer principalities listen to the people of the smaller ones. Mazzini, with the help of Garibaldi, gathered a following and led a revolution in Lombardy. This is the opposite of what Robespierre of France did. He let other people gather and make a move against the government and then he stepped in. Robespierre made the smarter choice because this attempt by Mazzini was squashed by a more powerful Italian leader, Cavour. Mazzini and Garibaldi both fled the area, hoping to avoid the wrath of Cavour.


After the attempt, Garibaldi was brought back to Italy by Cavour. Cavour wanted Garibaldi to gather a following of lower class people in Southern Italy so that Cavour could unite Italy. Garibaldi did as he was asked because he still achieved his goal of uniting the smaller principalities for the better. He would have never been successful at uniting his people without the help of Cavour. Napoleon was the opposite of Garibaldi; he was much more like Cavour. Napoleon gathered followings but he gathered followings of important people of higher ranks so that his cause would be more successful. He made important friends and connections through his time in the military. By the time he tried to make his major move of power, he already had a huge group of followers. 


Mazzini and Garibaldi were revolutionaries who thought they could change things for the better through helping the oppressed. However, by trying to help the oppressed, they ignored the richer classes. This mistake turned out to be huge. The upper class had military personnel and powerful leaders who were easily able to take down Mazzini's and Garibaldi's revolutionary attempts. If Mazzini and Garibaldi had paid more attention to their enemies as well as there followers, like Napoleon, they might have been more successful on their own.


Unification attempts were happening all over Europe in the mid-nineteenth century. Italy finally achieved unification through the work of Cavour, who was assisted by Garibaldi. Garibaldi and Mazzini were unsuccessful on their own. If they had followed some of the tactics of revolutionaries in France they might have been more successful.