Italy, 1861–71 the nation and show that Italy should be seen and treated as a major power.Yet the new Italy was not as influential or as wealthy as the older European powers. Activity It will be valuable for you to think about how far Italy was united in the period after 1871 as this will help you to understand the extent of unification by 1871. Continue the discussion thread ‘Italy by 1890’. Make sure that you address as many of the points here as possible, by stating whether you agree or disagree with them and why.
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Silvio writes: Italy was deeply divided by 1890. Its cultural and linguistic differences had not been resolved, and there was a gulf between north and south. Its politics were a by-word for corruption and its attempts to make itself a great power had failed. It had, in the words of R.J. Bosworth, more in common ‘with a small Balkan state or a colony than a great power.
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Harry writes: The problems of the Italian south in the 1860s were a result of war and unemployed and disaffected ex-soldiers. This should not obscure the successes of the new Italian state. A Britishstyle parliamentary state was established when parliamentary tradition was weak, and French-style modern administration – a new legal code and uniform weights, measures and currency – was introduced with remarkably little disturbance. Outside the south, Italy was ready for unity. Internationally, Italy made itself soughtafter by great powers and began to acquire colonies – not the signs that it was a sort of Balkan power or that it was a colony. Priti writes: Too much can be made of linguistic divisions – successful states exist with linguistic diversity, for example Belgium or Canada or more spectacularly India with hundreds of languages. Even if influential people preferred French or local dialects, they often wrote important works in Italian. Chimamanda writes: If Italy was so divided and unsuccessful, then how did it achieve such high economic growth rates in the 1880s?
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