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Compare and contrast the unification of italy and germany

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Compare and contrast the unification of Italy and Germany
Introduction
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, European nationalism rose radically, making
a huge impact on the history of Europe. The French revolution was the leading cause of
nationalism, which spread the idea of liberalism and national self-determinism. Napoleon and
Napoleonic code also affected the politicians and resulted in a political transformation in Europe.
German and Italian unification was the fruit of the nationalism in the nineteenth century, and has
certain similarities and differences, in terms of their cultural, economic, social, and geographical
effects.
Cultural effect
Italy was divided into several states ruled by kings. Italians shared the universal language
and the history of the Roman Empire. They were proud of their ancient glory, and the prevailing
culture joined them together. Italy had one leading nation that promoted unification, the
kingdom of Sardinia (Ciccarelli, and Fenoaltea 71).
On the other hand, German nationals shared a universal language and history, although they were
divided into many different states. Grimm brothers played a significant role in cultural unity by

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researching and publishing German folk tales. Although, they also had a leading nation that
promoted unification, the kingdom of Prussia.
Economic factors
Germany had a leading power Prussia’s state, symbolizing their custom union, which was
raised with the success of the Zollverein, found in 1834 by Prussia. Zollverein made German
people realize the economic benefits after unification and paved the way for unity in Germany.
In Italy, there was no economic union, which greatly affected the unification. Piedmont was the
only economic policy performed by Cavour, which developed the state economically (Clulow
37). In 1848, as a result of the quest for liberty and unity, a revolt broke out in every Italian state.
The revolutionary movement was later suppressed by rulers resulting in its failure. Germany was
equally affected by the tremendous revolutionary tide. Austria and Prussia, which were the two
dominant German states, were shocked by revolts in their capital cities, and concessions were
granted to revolutionaries. Even so, counter-revolution prevailed in the end when despotic rule
returned to most German states, after the suppression of revolts by loyal imperial forces.
Italian unification owed a lot to the leadership of Cavour and Piedmont; there were also
other liberal forces like Garibaldi and Mazzini. In Germany, it was the unification from the
Prussia and Bismarck. The German unification was much more organized than the Italian; this
led to their great success after unity.
How did the creation of these new nation-states affect the European balance of power?
The continuation of the imperial game led to the destruction and ultimate transformation
of the European map. The European power developed a system of military and political balance
between 1815 to 1870, as a result of the aftermath of Napoleon's domination of Europe (Toniolo

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Onunga 1 Name Tutor Course Date Compare and contrast the unification of Italy and Germany Introduction At the beginning of the nineteenth century, European nationalism rose radically, making a huge impact on the history of Europe. The French revolution was the leading cause of nationalism, which spread the idea of liberalism and national self-determinism. Napoleon and Napoleonic code also affected the politicians and resulted in a political transformation in Europe. German and Italian unification was the fruit of the nationalism in the nineteenth century, and has certain similarities and differences, in terms of their cultural, economic, social, and geographical effects. Cultural effect Italy was divided into several states ruled by kings. Italians shared the universal language and the history of the Roman Empire. They were proud of their ancient glory, and the prevailing culture joined them together. Italy had one leading nation that promoted unification, the kingdom of Sardinia (Ciccarelli, and Fenoaltea 71). On the other hand, German nationals shared a universal language and history, although they were divided into many different states. Grimm brothers played a significant role ...
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