After the fall of Napoleon, many Italian-speaking states, like Lombardy, Venetia, Parma, Modena, Tuscany, Sicily and Naples, came under Austria’s direct or indirect control.
The pope ruled Rome and the Papal States. The kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont remained independent.
At this time, many nationalistic secret societies such as the Carbonari were formed with the aim of driving out the Austrians. Giuseppe Mazzini, a member of the Carbonari, organised the Young Italy Movement in 1831 to create a unified Italian republic. In 1848, revolutionary movements forced rulers to introduce some democratic reforms, but unification was not achieved.
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King Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia-Piedmont introduced many reforms after 1848. His Prime Minister Count Cavour entered into a secret pact with France at Plombieres. This enabled Cavour to use French help to win over Lombardy from Austria. Thereafter, several states, including Parma, Giuseppe Garibaldi
Modena and Tuscany united under the leadership of Sardinia-Piedmont. The states yet to join were Venetia, Rome, and the kingdom of the two Sicilies and Naples.
Giuseppe Garibaldi, a participant in the Young Italy Movement, used his army to liberate the Sicilies and Naples. These states joined Sardinia-Piedmont. Victor Emmanuel II became the king of united Italy in 1861. He acquired Venetia by supporting Prussia in a war against Austria in 1866. Only Rome, which was guarded by French troops, remained to be united.
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In 1870, when Prussia declared war on France, the French troops were withdrawn and the revolutionary army immediately liberated Rome. In 1871, Rome became the capital of united Italy.