Cavour

Synopsis

"This book is the best one-volume biography available of a key figure in the establishment of modern Italy. The younger son of a Piedmont nobleman, Count Camille de Cavour was raised in a cosmopolitan atmosphere. His family was as much Swiss and French as Italian (indeed, French was Cavour's first language, a fact to which Smith attributes his less-than eloquent speeches in the Italian-speaking Piedmont parliament) and Cavour himself traveled extensively in both France and England, which exposed him to the breadth of political and economic developments taking place in early 19th century Europe.
A radical in his youth, Cavour later tempered his ideology to a cautious support for classical liberalism, though as a politician this was always subordinate to the political realities of the situation. Yet while interested in politics at an early age, Cavour entered the political stage only in the aftermath of the Revolutions of 1848 and even then he faced frustration in his initial efforts to win a seat in the Piedmont legislature. Yet his ability soon helped him stand out amongst his peers, and his knowledge of finance propelled him into a ministerial post a year after taking his seat.
Cavour's genius, though, was in parliamentary management, which he demonstrated after becoming prime minister in 1852. By maintaining the connubio of the center (shifting it to the political left or right as election results dictated), he ensured the stability of his successive governments, though at the cost of an organized political opposition and an independent legislature that could act as a check on the executive - a fatal weakening of the liberal state in its formative years that had important consequences later on.
Though Cavour was considered a master of the political scene by many contemporaries and historians, Smith shows that much of his reputation is overstated. Though his involvement of Piedmont in the Crimean War is considered to have been an important step in boosting the country's standing on the European scene, Cavour's intrigues at the subsequent peace conference were fanciful at best. Even more unrealistic were the ideas and tactics he proposed in his rush to precipitate the war of 1859, which nearly turned all of Europe against Piedmont. But worst of all was Cavour machinations during the "Risorgimento" of 1860, which oscillated between tepid support and active interference with Garibaldi's campaign. Though Cavour died soon afterwards, his record suggests that he would have been no more successful than his successors were in dealing with the complex problems of the united Italy that had emerged.
Smith presents this material with a first-rate analysis of Cavour's politics and policies that will make this book an indispensable source for understanding the politician for years to come. The book is not without its flaws, though. The author's focus is on Cavour's political career; there is little discussion of his personal life and how it might have influenced his views. Smith also assumes that his reader already possess a familiarity with the subject. There is little context provided for events that are outside Cavour's focus but which impact his policies and career, while important people (such as Massino d'Azeglio, Urbano Rattazzi, and General Alfonso Lamarmora) are dropped into the text without providing background or even first names. As a consequence, while Smith's biography is the best modern study available in English on Cavour, it is by no means the last word on the man and his legacy." [Amazon]

RefTags

Released

1985

Location

Europe

Setting

First Prime Minister of Italy for 3 months in 1861 when monarch was Victor Emmanuel II;