Mrs. Cervantes
AP European History p.3
1 April 2015
DBQ
The debates over Italian national identity and unification in the period circa 1830-1870 were controversial. The ideas of the unification of Italy were preferential to those who wanted it to become a republic, but to others, they favored a separated monarchy of kingdoms and territories because a republic may be pernicious and consisted of mixed opinions. Though some wanted to stick to tradition, there were some important and influential people who encouraged the unification. Giuseppe Mazzini, attorney, believed that Italy deserved to be a nation and it was about time all the parts of the monarchy to be part of one big republic in unification. Along with Mazzini, Carlo Cattaneo, philosopher and political activist, also believed in the unification of this monarchy would be a right step for Italy. He said that even though it would mix them, it won’t take their culture and traditions off the grid like they believed, but instead, they would all be appreciated and remembered. Vincenzo Gioberti, a priest of Piedmont stated that the unification would actually make the kings stronger without damaging their own independence. In consort with the supporters, there were some anti-unification leaders. The Peace of Villafranca, treaty between France and Austria (1859) stated that conjoining the territories would be easy, but Emperor Napoleon III of France wrote that he did not want Italy to unify because the nation would diminish its preponderance. Though to many it seemed and obvious choice for unification, to these writer including Giuseppe Garibaldi, believed they were a monarchy in the first place for a reason. They thought that separate kingdoms and territories would be beneficial for everyone. All disagreements set aside, they had a point, but only some delivered with credible facts. These debates all started after Congress of Vienna which split it all up. Though