Cavour essays

Cavour essays Of the three main figures of the Italian Risorgimento, Cavour best understood how to use nationalism to achieve his goal. Mazzini failed to gain support of the majority of the people, while Garibaldi merely provided military assistance. What neither man understood was the importance of Foreign aid. Mazzini even went as far as to oppose assistance from outside, thinking that if Italy were to gain independence on its own, the bonds within the country would be stronger. He failed to think of the consequences should they not succeed. Cavour however knew how to gain support of the people and recognized the importance of foreign aid. As stated by Geoffrey Bruun, To... work out a formula whereby the Italian people and their rulers could be united called for patience, insight, moderation, compromise and political realism. One man who combined these qualities in the requisite proportions was Camillo di Cavour. (Bruun 63) Cavour showed Nationalistic traits for most of his life. At the age of ten, he was enrolled in military school, but by age 18, his nationalism was already emerging and with it came complications which eventually led to imprisonment and later, his resignation. During his military career, he was transferred to Genoa where he met people with the same political views as himself. Many of them belonged to a rebel uprising group, the Carbonari. After the French Revolutions of 1830, Sardinian officials felt that Cavour showed too much interest in there outcomes and, thinking that he might want the same sort of situation in Piedmont, imprisoned him. Upon his release 8 months later, he promptly resigned. For the next sixteen years, he spent his time developing his fathers estate, but never forgetting his liberal and nationalistic ideas. He frequented the English House of Commons, and read many books concerning the British system of government which, eventually, became the foundation for the Italian system. In 1833, ...