The Risorgimento: Italy, 1815-1871

by Tim Chapman

This book traces the emergence of Italy from the Congress of Vienna in 1815 through the Risorgimento to unification by 1871.

Initially, in the borth of modern Italy, only a tiny elite was interested in change as secret societies and activists tried to overthrow rulers who were supported by the Austrian Chancellor, Metternich. In the 1850s, under the leadership of Piedmont and Cavour French help was secured for a war against Austria to create a north Italian kingdom. The process was largely completed by Garibaldi in 1860. This new book brings together the latest research for students of the period in a readable and accessible manner and provides analyses of the major issues.

Tim Chapman is the author of The Congress of Vienna (1998) and Imperial Russia (2001) as well as numerous articles for History magazines. He teaches at Wisbech Grammar School in Cambridgeshire.

124 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[sienna rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

fair detail

[Eric Steere · Rating 1 out of 5]

Surely there must be better scholarship on this subject. The Risorgimento, as it is defined as a cultural movement, is only covered through poor prose and it takes digging through the geopolitical and reductive history. Very disappointed. There are sentences here that even The Star Ledger editors would take issue with. It is well organised, hardly merit to pick this up even if you are interested in a concise history of this period. Is this an undergraduate essay extended with the untoward enthusiasm of a professor with no sense of inspiring prose?!