Foundation of Italy

Italy Analysis: Foundation of Italy

I am writing about Italy because it is the only country, outside of where I was born, the United States, and Costa Rica. I loved Costa Rica, but I have a spiritual connection to Italy, and Rome, in particular, (not just the Vatican).

Italian Unification:

In Europe, Italy was one of the last countries to unify into a single country.  Italy was finally unified in 1902 CE. The major players in Italian unification were Garibaldi, Sicily, Piedmont, and Napoleon. Italian Unification was important because it unified culturally different city-states into one major player country; that sadly turned Fascist.

Italian Unification occurred between 1789 CE and 1902 CE.[1] The Italian Revolution occurred in 1789 CE and was started with the goal of achieving ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity. [2] Another main character in this was the French Napoleon, who turned France into a formidable military and political force. Napoleon was born on the Island of Corsica. [3] The First Consul and later Emperor of the French; was Napolean. Napoleon led France into a civil war, took out the king, and created an empire.  Italy, in particular, was the center of Napoleon’s ambitions. The Italian Peninsula, which is divided into multiple states, is a major part of the French Revolution. The Italian Revolutionaries, through military conquest and diplomatic maneuvers, established the French Empire, which led France into greatness. Napoleon, in particular, was interested in taking over Italy. Napolean’s first campaign into Italy was in 1796, during which the war of the First Coalition 1792-1997 was a major part of the problem. Austrian forces were very powerful in controlling northern Italy. After Napoleon conquered Italy, he unified the part that he was a part of. After Napolean was exiled, Italy started the process of Unification. Critical figures and places regarding Unification include Sardinia, Piedmont, the Kingdom of Sicily, and Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi.

Italian Unification was a turning point in Europe. It changed the outcome of Europe, led to fascism, and helped set the stage for the European Union. The European Union was critical as it led to better outcomes for Europe, ended most intra-European wars, and allowed them to fight back against Russia. Europe was the dominant colonial, economic, and cultural power for most of the Modern Age, until WW2.

Bibliography:

Haynes, Dominic. A Brief History of Italy. [Place of publication]: [Publisher], [Year].King, Ross. The Shortest History of Italy. [Place of publication]: [Publisher], [Year].Waley, Daniel, and Trevor Dean. The Italian City-Republic. [Place of publication]: [Publisher], [Year].

Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Risorgimento.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, last modified January 23, 2026. https://www.britannica.com/event/Risorgimento

[1] Dominic Haynes, A Brief History of Italy (Place of Publication: Self-Published, 2023). Pg. 121

[2] Ibid pg. 121

[3] Ibid. Pg. 122