There were many revolts in Italy against the existing conditions and thousands of persons were sent to prisons or in exile.
They stimulated the deep and wide movement of thought and feeling which became so important in Italian history that they were given the title of Risorgimento, the revival or resurrection.
The Risorgimento movement was at bottom a moral one. It was based on the ideal of a free and united Italy. It got strength from the Romantic Movement.
It reminded the Italians of their greatness in the past. Politically, the revival was patriotic and national.
It was a protest against Austrian domination and a demand for unity.
It was liberal and democratic and they demanded for a parliamentary form of government, freedom of press, reduction of powers of the church, and the establishment of a republic.
It represented the aspirations of the middle classes of Italy to develop themselves economically and they were also linked up with the growth of knowledge and science.
A key figure in this movement was Giuseppe Mazzini (1805-1872), who began as a member of a secret revolutionary society, the Carbonari.
He encouraged national revolutions among other groups, such as the Irish and the Poles, and was a leader in the short-lived Roman Republic of 1849.
Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-1882) was a disciple of Mazzini and a very able military leader.
The most successful leader of the Risorgimento movement was Camillo di Cavour (1810-1861).
In 1847, Cavour founded a liberal newspaper, IlRisorgimento.