19th-century movement for Italian national unity and independence, begun 1815. Leading figures in the movement included
Cavour,
Mazzini, and
Garibaldi. Uprisings 184849 failed, but with help from France in a war against Austria to oust it from Italian provinces in the north an Italian kingdom was founded in 1861. Unification was finally completed with the addition of Venetia in 1866 and the Papal States in 1870.
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