ABSTRACT
The French Revolution's impact on Italy has aroused fierce debate. The wars of the French Revolution that began in 1792 ended the long peace between France and Austria, which once more fought for supremacy in Italy. The Directory pursued conservative domestic policies and exploited French revolutionary ideals to extend French influence abroad. The turmoil caused by the Revolution favored the intellectuals' activities by exacerbating the economic crisis: prices rose, trade difficulties increased, and the fiscal burden worsened as arms spending increased. The landowners had profited from Melzi's policies, which had brought stability, allowed them to buy public lands cheaply, and liberated them from the incubus of Jacobinism. Practical developments in the various republics set up by the French reflected the badly divided Italian situation. The Neapolitan counterrevolution, the most famous incident of its kind, raises interesting questions and had important implications.
