ABSTRACT
Camillo Benso di Cavour was born in Piedmont-Sardinia in northern Italy on August 1, 1810. He graduated from the Royal Military Academy of Piedmont-Sardinia and received a commission in 1826. Cavour understood that Piedmont-Sardinia would need the support of a great power such as France to provide the military aid needed to drive Austria out of northern Italy. Camillo Benso di Cavour's skill as a diplomat, his ability to adapt to changing circumstances, and his single-minded determination to see Italy unified under the monarchy of Piedmont-Sardinia led to the creation of a centralized Italian nation-state. Cavour's leadership ensured that a centralized constitutional monarchy, stressing liberal political and economic institutions, would succeed in uniting the Italian states despite their differences. Cavour was also a leader in the efforts of nineteenth-century moderate and conservative European political leaders to manipulate nationalist and patriotic enthusiasm, with the goal of keeping the monarchies they supported in power.
