How Far Do You Agree That the Limited Appeal of Mazzini’s Ideas Was the Main Reason for the Slow Progress of National Unity in Italy in the Years 1815-1848?

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How far do you agree that the limited appeal of Mazzini’s ideas was the main reason for the slow progress of national unity in Italy in the years 1815-1848? Nationalism is an ideology that elicits the belief that people of the same race, language, culture and traditions should be united in an independent nation of their own. This idea existing throughout ‘Italy’ at the time would have influenced and encouraged the motive of Italian unification. Since the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Italy was divided up into eight different states, which made it clear that there would be divisions between the people, making the aim of unity appear more and more unrealistic. From this emerged a number of evident figures such as Guiseppe Mazzini who were advocates for Italian Unification. However, the significance of Mazzini has been questioned and it could be argued that the limited appeal of his ideas were the main reason for the slow progress of national unity in Italy. Although, it could also be said that there were additional reasons such as regionalism, restored monarchies and the power of Austria that possessed more prominent effects. Guiseppe Mazzini was an Italian politician, journalist and activist for the unification of Italy. He strived for the unity of Italy as a whole peninsula that had a republican democracy. He believed that there should be a democracy and that individual rights and freedoms should be granted. Mazzini was an advocate for liberality and equality, proven by the fact that he helped to pass laws such as the universal manhood suffrage which allowed all men to vote regardless of their income, instituted government control over clerical salaries - therefor creating less of a division between the Italian people, argued for universal education and also the liberation of women. This emphasised the fact that he appealed mainly to those of the lower/working
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