ABSTRACT
The modern Italian state came into being during the course of little more than a decade. Between 1859 and 1870 the interaction of nationalist sentiment among limited sections of the population, the influence and involvement of foreign powers, and the ambitions of one Italian state, Piedmont, created a united Italian kingdom. The Risorgimento (‘resurgence’ or ‘revival’), as the movement for and achievement of Italian nationhood is commonly known, bequeathed to Italy a complex legacy, of which two threads mainly concern us here: it aroused among politically conscious Italians exaggerated expectations concerning Italy’s immediate prospects of power and prosperity; and in forging a new nation without involving or satisfying the mass of the population it threw up a socio-political system riddled with potential weaknesses.
