Italy+in+the+19th+Century

This page focuses on what students most need to know about this topic in preparation for the IB exam.

1. IB Definition of Topic
For first examinations in 2017:

Italy (1815–1871) and Germany (1815–1890)
This section deals with the history of both Germany and Italy from 1815; in the case of Italy, from the Congress of Vienna to 1871, and in the case of Germany, up to 1890. There is consideration of the impact of the congress system on both Italy and Germany, and of the causes, events and consequences of revolutions from 1815–1849. There is also a focus on the emergence and growth of nationalism in the German states and the Italian peninsula, as well as the social, economic and political factors involved in the unification process.
 * Italy (1815–1849): impact of the Congress of Vienna on Italy, Austrian dominance, role of Metternich; nationalism and liberalism; attempted revolutions in Italy between 1820 and 1844; Mazzini and Gioberti; role of the papacy; 1848–1849 Revolutions—causes, nature, defeat and consequences •
 * Germany (1815–1849): impact of the Congress of Vienna on Germany; nationalism and liberalism in the Vormärz period; economic and social change before 1848; 1848–1849 Revolutions—causes, nature, defeat and consequences
 * Unification of Italy (1849–1871); Cavour and Garibaldi; the role of foreign influence
 * The rise of Prussia and the decline of Austria (1815–1866); the Zollverein • Bismarck, Prussia and final unification: diplomatic, economic, military reorganization; Wars of Unification; the 1871 Constitution • Germany (1871–1890): Bismarck’s domestic policies, including the Kulturkampf and the anti-socialist campaign; consolidation of the new German state and the role of Prussia within it

2. Major Areas of Focus

 * One focus of IB questions in this area is a comparison/contrast of the contributions of Mazzini, Cavour, and Garibaldi.
 * Another is the step-by-step approach necessitated by the fragmentation of Italy, and its numerous pre-independence masters.
 * Another is the key role/status of Rome and the Papacy in the process.

3. Essay Questions from Past IB Exams, Organized Chronologically by Exam Date
2001-N

QUESTION 5 Assess the relative importance of the roles played by Mazzini and Cavour in the unification of Italy.

This was an extremely popular question. Mazzini is rarely well known despite the regularity with which he appears in exam papers. This was the major weakness of candidates who chose this question. Cavour was covered in a sound manner, but Mazzini was dealt with in a very superficial way. The greatest weakness of candidates who chose this question was of the inability to assess the relative importance of the two men. This involves the judgment of in which way either man was more important than the other. This was usually left to the end of the essay in a very brief conclusion which attempted to then say - ‘Mazzini was more important than Cavour’ or vice versa, although this assertion was not supported.

2002-M

QUESTION 5 ‘A popular patriot.’ How far do you agree with this of Garibaldi’s contribution to Italian unification?

Most candidate knew of Garibaldi’s military victories in 1860-61, but little else. Several candidates went through Cavour and Mazzini before reaching Garibaldi. There was scanty knowledge shown of Garibaldi’s participation in Latin America, or even the Roman Republic of 1849. The term ‘patriot’ was seldom defined or discussed.

2002-N

QUESTION 5 How united was Italy by 1871?

A very popular question. Too many answers focused on the process of unification and there were the usual batch of candidates who totally ignored the question and wrote prepared essays on Mazzini, Cavour and Garibaldi. Only the best candidates realized that, despite geographical and political unification, there were still several areas of concern in Italy after 1871-the North/South split, the role of Piedmont and so on.

2003-M

QUESTION 6. “Cavour united Italy not because he intended or wanted to, but because circumstances forced him to.” To what extent do you agree with this judgment?

This was a very popular choice. Most candidates knew that Cavour was a loyal Piedmontese statesman rather than a nationalist. There were a range of responses, which argued back and forth about Cavour’s desire, or lack of it, to unify Italy. There were some excellently argued essays that displayed a wide range of knowledge and the application of fine historical skills. Weaker candidates could only state the question’s assumptions and give a descriptive and generalized account of events in Italy relating to unification. Some essays focused entirely on the events of 1859, rather than covering the whole chronology. This question was a good discriminator among the candidates.

2003-N

QUESTION 5 Why was Mazzini disappointed by the united Italy that emerged after 1871?

This proved to be an excellent discriminator. Mazzini is the least well known of those who contributed to Italian unification and the focus of the question on Italy in 1871 found many candidates unprepared. This meant that only the best candidates could refocus their responses while weaker essays merely dealt with the process of unification.

2004-M

QUESTION 5 Compare and contrast the contributions made by Cavour and Garibaldi to Italian unification.

This was the second most popular question in the 19th century. The major weakness was the inability to make explicit the comparison and the contrast between the two figures. Many candidates included vast amounts of detail, usually in an end-on manner, but then totally ignored the question’s focus on identifying the similarities and difficulties between Cavour and Garibaldi. It was evident that many candidates had not made any attempt at making an outline before starting their essays.

2004-N

QUESTION 6 “The resolution of the question of Rome was the key to Italian unification”. To what extent do you agree with this statement?

The focus on Rome disconcerted some candidates who turned this into a Mazzini, Cavour and Garibaldi question, with little mention of Rome. Somewhat surprisingly there was some inaccuracy in candidates' responses as to the chronology of Italian unification. There were, however, some excellent essays which indicated both breadth and depth of knowledge.

2005-M

QUESTION 5 Analyse the aims and achievements of Cavour for Piedmont, Sardinia and Italy.

Cavour’s Italy was popular, with good analysis of his aims, and domestic policies. Events in southern Italy and his role in Garibaldi’s exploits were weaker.

2005-N

QUESTION 5 Assess the role of Piedmont-Sardinia in Italian unification between 1850 and 1861.

Italian unification is always popular, but this session as in previous ones, too many candidates wrote all they knew about it rather than focusing on the set question. Even those who did concentrate on the correct period and area, highlighted Cavour exclusively rather than Piedmont-Sardinia.

2006-M

QUESTION 7 Why was Italy united under Piedmont-Sardinia and not under Rome?

There were answers which consisted of all the candidate knew about Italian unification, in this popular question, but the majority did focus on the set question, and there was strong knowledge about Rome’s failure to be in the forefront of unification.

2006-N

QUESTION 5 Compare and contrast the contributions of Mazzini and Garibaldi to Italian unification.

Most candidates were able to compare and contrast Mazzini and Garibaldi quite well, in a comparative structure. Not surprisingly Mazzini attracted more material and praise.

2007-M

QUESTION 5 Explain and evaluate the view that the unification of Italy was helped not hindered by the disputes, differences and suspicions between leading Italian patriots.

Very popular, able candidates understood the implications and either argued for or against the view expressed in the question. Less able ones revealed good knowledge of the principal participants, especially Cavour and Garibaldi, and provided comments on the unification of Italy. There are still those who do not know that Cavour died in 1861.

2007-N

2008-M

QUESTION 5. Compare and contrast the roles of Cavour and Garibaldi in Italian unification between 1852 and 1861

This very popular question was usually well done, with good knowledge and analysis of both Cavour and Garibaldi done in a comparative structure.

2008-N

QUESTION 5

This was very popular, but exact details with dates were often missing. Too many candidates wanted to include prepared answers on Mazzini and Garabaldi as well as Cavour, so not all material was relevant.

2009-M

QUESTION 3

“Political factors” was often an overlooked term. Weaker answers responded with narratives on Cavour; some included Garibaldi but did not focus on issues such as nationalism (Mazzini) and liberalism effectively.

2009-N

QUESTION 5

Some answers showed detailed knowledge. Weaker candidates wrote narratives of the Unification with little material on Garibaldi, who is clearly less known to students than Cavour

2010-M

QUESTION 3 Analyse the political factors involved in the unification of Italy up to 1861.

“Political factors” was often an overlooked term. Weaker answers responded with narratives on Cavour; some included Garibaldi but did not focus on issues such as nationalism (Mazzini) and liberalism effectively.

2010-N

QUESTION 4

A popular question, which was on the whole done with clear comparisons and some contrasts. There was also evidence of good balance and quite detailed knowledge. Some got distracted by historical debate on the aims of both Bismarck and Cavour with superficial knowledge.

2011-M

QUESTION 4 Compare and contrast the unification of Germany and Italy in the nineteenth century.

A popular question, which was on the whole done with clear comparisons and some contrasts. There was also evidence of good balance and quite detailed knowledge. Some got distracted by historical debate on the aims of both Bismarck and Cavour with superficial knowledge.

2011-N

QUESTION 3

This was extremely popular and many answers showed a very detailed knowledge. The focus of answers tended to be on Cavour and better ones also analysed the role of Garibaldi in conjunction with Cavour.

2012-M

QUESTION 4 Assess the contribution made by other powers to the unification of Italy (1848–1871).

This was a popular question and on the whole quite well done. Candidates resisted the temptation to narrate events and focus solely on Cavour. However the main focus was on France with limited comment on the role of Prussia or indeed of Great Britain. Very good answers often commented that hostility to Austria was a unifying and motivating factor in the drive for unification.

2012-N

2013-M

QUESTION 3 Why was the Italian nationalist movement so ineffective in the years 1815–1848?

This was a relatively popular question that was often done quite poorly. Answers tended to lack any real detailed knowledge of the period 1815-1848 with generalized statements about division, lack of leadership etc. Or there were limited comments about the period 1815-1848 and then a focus on Cavour, Garibaldi and the period 1850-1870. Where candidates had been taught the first bullet in the guide there were some very good answers that focused well on the issue of “ineffectiveness”.

2013-N

2014-M

QUESTION 3

Stronger candidates answered this question without difficulty and covered the whole period with focus on the increasing power of Piedmont. However, many knew - and wrote - about the process of Italian unification and showed reasonable knowledge, especially after 1848, but with insufficient focus on the question. There were some very good responses that identified the objectives of German foreign policy and made sound analytical points on the impact of German actions.

2014-N

QUESTION 4

This question was quite popular; most candidates demonstrated knowledge of a number of leaders including Mazzini and Victor Emmanuel II, and they were able to make a judgment as to their importance. Less developed responses had a broad understanding of the roles of Cavour and Garibaldi and knowledge was not always accurate as many seemed to think that Cavour lived until 1871.

2015-M

QUESTION 3

There were some good answers; however too many candidates had very limited knowledge of the revolutions in Italy in 1848 and made some rather general statements about the impact of Mazzini and Italian nationalism. The impression gleaned was that many candidates were keen to move onto Cavour.

4. Essay Questions from Past IB Exams Organized by Phase

 * “The involvement of foreign powers was of crucial importance to the Unification of Italy.” How far do you agree with this statement?
 * Show how Italian unification was achieved in spite of the problems caused by the existence of various secular states and the Papal states.
 * How serious an obstacle to Italian unification was the Papacy between 1815 and 1870?
 * Why did it take so long to unify Italy?
 * How and why did Piedmont/Sardinia play an important part in Italian unification?
 * How, why, and with what results did Rome remain outside a unified Italy until 1870?
 * How and why did Cavour contribute to Italian unification?
 * Analyse the aims, motives and policies of Cavour between 1852 and 1861.
 * “Cavour’s main aim for Italy was independence rather than unification.” How far do you agree with this quotation and consider that it explains his success?
 * In 1861 Cavour said, “Rome must be the capital of Italy because without Rome Italy cannot be constituted.” Assess Cavour’s attitude to and contribution to Italian unification in the light of this statement.
 * Why has it been claimed that Italian unification needed both a Cavour and a Garibaldi?
 * Compare and contrast the aims and achievements of Mazzini and Cavour.
 * Compare and contrast the aims and achievements of Mazzini and Garibaldi.
 * Why and with what justification is Garibaldi regarded as an Italian patriot?
 * Compare and contrast the contributions of Mazzini and Garibaldi to Italian unification.

5. Analytical Charts
Key steps in the development of Italian unification:


 * Blank charts:
 * [[file:Steps to Ital. Unif.xls]][[file:Steps to Ital. Unif.pdf]]
 * Filled-in by students:
 * [[file:Steps to Ital. Unif-Anon. student.xls]]

Steps to Italian unification– Contributions of Mazzini, Cavour, Garibaldi


 * Blank charts:
 * [[file:Ital. Unif.-Contribs M,C,Garibaldi.xls]][[file:Ital. Unif.-Contribs M,C,Garibaldi.pdf]]
 * Filled-in by students:
 * [[file:Ital. Unif.-Contribs M,C,Garibaldi–Emily H.pdf]]

Italian unification–Phases and Levels


 * Blank charts:
 * [[file:Ital. Unif-Phases & Levels.xls]]

4. Interactive Quizzes and Other Content Review Materials
A variety of [|interactive quizzes, activities and videos] developed or compiled by Russel Tarr at ActiveHistory.