Western Civilization

European Statesmen

Cavour's general strategy in Italy was to emulate some of the successful British techniques he admired, such as industry, parliament, and economic growth. He desired unification of Italy, but in the beginning, he really did not have political ideas of how it should be done. He encouraged economic growth by building roads, and infrastructure, and urged investment in new industries. He also built a large army as the economy improved. He also aligned his country with Napoleon to help drive Austria out of the country, so that he could provoke Austria, drive them out, and gain control of most of Northern Italy. It seems he would have been happy with his control of the North, but he aligned with Giuseppe Garibaldi, a revolutionary who brought Southern Italy under control, and allowed Cavour to attack Naples and Rome, which came together in 1861, largely as a result of Cavour's strategic alignments, rather than a concerted effort to unite the country.

Bismarck had a clearer idea of what he wanted but did not have a concrete plan, either. Many say he was the ultimate realist, who would declare war only after every other option failed, but who unified Germany with a series of wars that ultimately led to the fall of Paris and a unified and extremely powerful German state. He was a shrewd negotiator who realized that he could gain power over other countries by allying with them and then isolating them. He was adept at pitting one country against another for his own political gain, and he would promise territory and expansion to get what he wanted.

Germany definitely had more potential for leadership after the unifications took place. Germany had industry, a strong military, and a perceptive leader who would wage war when necessary and negotiate when necessary. Germany was the most powerful nation on the European continent after it unified.

References

Spielvogel. Jackson J. Western Civilization. St. Paul, MN: West Publishing Company, 1997.