HIST 121D Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Decembrist Revolt, Giuseppe Mazzini, Italian Peninsula
Document Summary
Had mystical faith of the common man much more so than early liberalism. Dominated by direct heritage of the french revolution. Centered above all in the italian peninsula. Party of action meant they have a willingness to participate in uprisings and revolutions. 1831 he founded young italy and proclaimed a new type of liberty. The old liberalism of the french revolution, he argued, was a negative liberty meaning that it could break and smash old institutions but it couldn"t build lasting institutions. Mazzini was convinced that to be successful revolutions must have the support of all the people, and the people must be moved by faith. Transposing individual to the nation state he formulates liberal nationalism because in its early days, nationalism and liberalism went hand in hand, but in the second half of the century when nationalism became more radical they split. Mazzini joined together radicalism and nationalism much more than anybody had been able to do before.
