Description
Book SynopsisA purely political framework does not capture the complexity of the culture behind Italians’ struggle for liberty and independence during the Risorgimento (1815-1861). Roberto Romani identifies the sensibilities associated with each of the two main political programmes, Mazzini’s republicanism and moderatism, which in fact were comprehensive projects for a political, moral, and religious resurgence. The moderates’ espousal of reason entailed an ideal personality expressed by private virtue, self-possession, and a public morality informed by Catholicism, while Mazzini’s advocacy of passions led to ‘enthusiasm’ and a total commitment to the cause. Romani demonstrates that the patriots’ moral quest rested on a thick cultural bedrock, dating back to Stoicism and the Catholic Aufklärung, and passing through Rousseau and the Revolution.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Abbreviations Map Introduction 1 Against the Passions of Revolution: Making the Moderate Sensibility, 1815–1848 2 Grand Vision, Minor Demands: The Themes and Sources of 1840s Moderatism 3 The Truths of the Heart: Passions, Sentiments, and Faith from Mazzini to Nievo 4 The Reason of the Elites: Constitutional Moderatism in the Kingdom of Sardinia, 1849–1861 Conclusion Bibliography Index
