Cavour From 1852-1861
This is a handout on Cavour and Realpolitik.
Cavour and Realpolitik
Cavour and Napoleon III plan to initiate a war with Austria:
“The Emperor came to my aid and together we ran through all the states of Italy, to seek there this cause of was so difficult to find. […] We agreed that an address of the inhabitants to your Majesty would be provoked to ask your protection and even to demand the annexation of these duchies to Sardinia. Your Majesty would not accept this offer, but, taking the part of these oppressed people, would address the Duke of Modena a haughty and threatening note. The Duke, confident of the support of Austria, would reply impertinently. Thereupon your Majesty would occupy Massa and war would begin.
o What did Cavour hope to gain from a war with Austria?
The Austrians would be chased completely out of Austria and regulate the future fate of Italy
v Cavour
o He developed an interest in economics and politics and even imagined himself to be Prime
Minister a united Italy (1832).
o After censorship was lifted Cavour founded his own publication Il Risorgimento, and used it to publicise his political ideas for the future. One of his first proposals was a moderate constitution.
o He was elected in a by-election. Once elected he became well known as as a non-revolutionary, liberal politician and in Oct 1850 was appointed Minister of Agriculture, Commerce and the Navy.
o He began putting into practice his economic theories and made free-trade treaties with France, Britain and Belgium.
o The PM did not enjoy the everyday business of government and handed over much of it to Cavour, who also became minister of finance (1851) after he was able to obtain better terms for a government loan to build a railway than the government itself had been able to do.
o He made an alliance with a moderately radical party in Parliament to form a new “re” party
o “Emperor Emmanuel II asked Cavour to form a government on ‘condition’ he dropped the civil marriage bill. Reluctantly he agreed and became PM in1852.”
o “In the1830s he had ‘possessed’ a vague wish that Italy should be united and free from Austrian dominance … ”
o He referred to unity as “rubbish” on a number of occasions and prob didn’t see it as a real aim until 1859.
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