ABSTRACT
Hegel's role in the history of nationalism has been seen very differently by different historians and political scientists. In his view of history, great world movements Hellenism, the Roman Empire, the modern European civilization which was dominated by Teutonic peoples provided the central theme. A Hegelian of the left, Spaventa accepted Hegel's but rejected Hegel's theology. He had been educated in a seminary for the priesthood, but was sympathetic to the Neapolitan revolution of 1848. The philosophy of Hegel was the starting-point of Marx, even though Marx quickly turned that philosophy upside-down. But before Marx had been heard of in Italy a considerable influence of a democratic and socialist nature had been exerted by Claude-Henri de Rouvroy, the Count of Saint-Simon. Before 1861 some writers had looked far beyond the Italian nationalism of the Risorgimento, and had anticipated later movements. The French electorate recognized Garibaldi's efforts on their behalf by electing him to the National Assembly which met in Bordeaux.
