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=Brief Overview/ Issues Surrounding the Nation, Pushing Them to Unite: =

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For centuries, Italy had been a battleground for ambitious, determined and forceful foreign and local princes. Frequent warfare and foreign rule had led people to identify with local regions. The people of Florence considered themselves Tuscans. The people of Venice considered themselves Venetians.The people of Naples considered themselves Neapolitans, and so on (with this pattern). But as in Germany, the invasions of Napoleon had sparked dreams of national unity, beginning to push the people of Italy to unite. =====

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However, The Congress of Vienna ignored the nationalists who hoped to end centuries of foreign rule and achieve unity, which was a problem, making their task a difficulty to achieve. In fact, to Prince Metternich of Austria, the idea of a unified Italy was "laughable" (a joke), and he did not like or want a unified Italy whatsoever. At Vienna, Austria took control of much of northern Italy, while Hapsburg monarchs ruled various other Italian states. In the south, a French Bourbon ruler was put in charge of Naples and Sicily. =====

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Therefore, nationalists organized secret patriotic societies and focused their efforts on removing Austrian forces from northern Italy. Between 1820 and 1848, nationalist revolts exploded across the region. Though, Austria sent in troops to crush the rebels each time. =====  Then, in the 1830's, the nationalist leader named Guiseppe Mazzini founded/established Young Italy. In 1949, In 1849, Mazzini helped set up a revolutionary republic in Rome, but French forces soon toppled it. Mazzini (like many other nationalists) spent much of his life in exile, plotting ideas and dreaming of a united Italy. Throughout this whole time, Italy had to go through many struggles, obstacles, and challenges in order to acquire more land. The Italian people came together and went through these challenges as one, including the several wars that took place involving Italy getting more land. Together, the Italian people worked together in order to acquire more and more land, which then eventually pushed them closer to a united Italy at last (in the end).