Italian unification movement

The Italian unification movement, known as the Risorgimento, was a 19th-century effort to consolidate separate Italian states into a single nation. Before unification, Italy was divided into various kingdoms, duchies, and republics, often under foreign influence. Led by figures like Giuseppe Garibaldi and Count Cavour, the movement aimed to promote national identity, political stability, and independence from Austria and other foreign powers. Through diplomacy, military action, and popular support, these efforts gradually unified Italy in 1861, culminating with the annexation of Rome in 1870, creating the modern Italian state.