Write a Note on: (a) Giuseppe Mazzini. (b) Count Camilo de Cavour. (c) The Greek War of Independence. (d) The Frankfurt Parliament. (e) The Greek War of Independence

a) Giuseppe Mazzini: Giuseppe Mazzini was an Italian

revolutionary, born in Genoa in 1807. He was a member of the

secret society of the Carbonari. At the age of 24, he was sent

into exile in 1831 for attempting a revolution in Liguria. He

founded underground societies named ‘Young Italy’ in

Marseilles and ‘Young Europe’ in Berne, whose members were

like-minded young men from Poland, France, Italy and the

German States.

b) Count Camilo de Cavour: Cavour was chief misnister

of Sardinia-Piedmont state who led the movement to unify the

regions of Italy. He was neither a revolutionary nor a democrat.

Like many other wealthy and educated members of the Italian

elite, he spoke French much better than he did Italian. He

engineered a careful diplomatic alliance with France, which

helped Sardinia-Piedmont defeat the Austrian forces in 1859,

and thereby free the northern part of Italy from the Austrian

Habsburgs.

c) The Greek War of Independence: This was a successful war of

independence waged by Greek revolutionaries between 1821 and 1829 against the Ottoman Empire. The Greeks were

supported by the West European countries, while poets and

artists hailed Greece as the cradle of European civilization.

Finally, the Treaty of Constantinople of 1832 recognized Greece

as an independent nation.

d) The Frankfurt Parliament: It was an all-German National

Assembly formed by the middle-class professionals,

businessmen and prosperous artisans belonging to the different

German regions. It was convened on 18 May, 1848 in the

Church of St. Paul, in the city of Frankfurt. This assembly drafted

a constitution for a German nation to be headed by a monarchy

subject to a parliament. However, it faced opposition from the

aristocracy and military. Also, as it was dominated by the middle

classes, it lost its mass support base. In the end, it was forced to

disband on 31 May, 1849

e) The role of women in nationalist struggles: The issue of

extending political rights to women was a controversial one

within the liberal movement, in which large numbers of women

had participated actively over the years. Women had formed

their own political associations, founded newspapers and taken

part in political meetings and demonstrations. Despite this, they

were denied suffrage during the election of the Assembly. When

the Frankfurt Parliament convened in the Church of St. Paul,

women were admitted only as observers to stand in the visitors’

gallery.