ABSTRACT
Cobden's tour of Italy could not have taken place at a more propitious time. Pius IX's rise to power in 1846 had given impetus to liberal agitation in the whole peninsula, and a customs union among the regional states was at the top of the reformers' agenda. The years between 1846 and 1848 were the halcyon days of a view of the national Risorgimento as a peaceful process of reform carried out by governments under the pressure of liberal opinion. This chapter deals with the Italian reaction to repeal. The political and cultural implications of Cobden's visit are discussed. The chapter shows that he had definite views on Italian politics and did his best to push his agenda. It focuses on the Cobden's judgement of the events of 1848 in the peninsula, a judgement decisively shaped by his notion of public spirit. The evidence put forward casts doubt on the interpretation that Cobden undervalued Italian nationalist aspirations.
