The Fragmented Republicanism of Nineteenth-Century Italy (c. 1830s-1880s)
In this thesis, I argue that republican political thought was significant in nineteenth-century Italy, though it was fragmented. To demonstrate this, I analyse the works of Giuseppe Mazzini (1805-1872), Carlo Cattaneo (1801-1869), Cristina Trivulzio di Belgiojoso (1808-1871), Francesco De Sanctis (1817-1883), and Pasquale Villari (1827-1917) – who represent a broad spectrum of republican thought – and structure my analysis around three main themes: citizenship, sovereignty, and religion. These republicans feared arbitrary power and prioritised the common good over sectional interests. Thence, they advocated for civic participation through representative democracy, constitutionally protected rights, and socio-economic equality while calling for a virtuous citizenry nurtured through secular education and religious sentiment. Nevertheless, they disagreed about how to implement their republican vision in practice. Radicals and moderates could not reach a consensus about the scope of democratic involvement, the precise balance between rights and national unity, the role of the state in social welfare, and the need for revolution against the monarchy and the Catholic Church. They also had different priorities, debating whether political or social reform should take precedence and whether a centralised or federal structure better served the common good. Moreover, they were differently influenced by their regional origins and engaged with past models (notably the Florentine republican tradition) to varying extents. The positions of the republicans were not immobile either, evolving in response to events such as the 1848-1849 revolutions and the 1861 establishment of the Kingdom of Italy. However, I challenge the view that republicanism was insignificant in nineteenth-century Italy. Though internal division and fluctuation prevented a unified republican movement, nineteenth-century Italian republicans consistently engaged with and shaped the political landscape. The debates among them contributed to the broader political discourse (both within and outside Italy) on unification and citizenship, while informing short-lived initiatives, such as the 1849 Roman Republic, as well as longer-term developments, including post-1861 policymaking.
Republicanism, Italy, Risorgimento, Nineteenth Century, Modern Europe, The History of Political Thought, Mazzini, Cattaneo, Trivulzio di Belgiojoso, De Sanctis, Villari, Citizenship, Sovereignty, Religion
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