Nationalism and the Creation of Italy

Nationalism is the belief that one should be loyal to their people whom they share a common ancestry and history. I really don't see myself as nationalistic. I don't do anything that would be considered nationalistic. I don't really have a loyalty to any one culture or people.

Nationalism helped Italy become its own nation by unifying the Italian people. Before Italy was a nation it had rulers from foreign kingdoms. The provinces of Venetia and Lombardy were ruled by Austria and the southern part of Italy was ruled by Bourbon family who were Spanish. In 1832, Giuseppe Mazzini stated a nationalist group called Young Italy. In 1848, revolts broke out in eight Italian states. A republican government was briefly led by Mazzini but Italy's former leaders drove the nationalist leaders into exile. After 1848, Italian nationalists needed leadership. They had the Kingdom of Peidmont-Sardinia to help them. Sardinia had a liberal constitution so the middle class were able to have a unification under Peidmont-Sardinia instead of a democratic government. In 1852, Camillo di Cavour was named as Sardinia's prime minister. He wanted to expand Sardinia's power. He was able to do this and unify Italy. In 1858, Sardinia was able to drive Austria out of northern Italy with the help of France. Cavour wanted to control sourthern Italy so he helped nationalist rebels there. In May 1860, Giuseppe Garibaldi and the Red Shirts were able to take over Sicily and then the rest of southern Italy and unify them with Sardinia.