Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 360

Chapter 360: 47 Chapters, The Hundred Forms of Human Life
The Bronx District, one of the main gathering places for Italians in the United States, was also the stronghold of the Italian Independence Organization.

Compared to other revolutionary groups, the Italian Independence Organization was indeed bustling. They originally had a leader, and the Carbonari, the most influential revolutionary group, was the main force with influence spread across the entire Italian area.

Following the outbreak of the regicide, the Carbonari suddenly became the most notorious terrorist organization internationally, and as a consequence, the Kingdom of Sardinia, seen as a land of hope, collapsed as well.

The Italian revolutionary groups also fractured, and originally allowing the Carbonari to take the lead was because of their large influence and wide reach, not because everyone was actually obedient to them.

Now that a crisis had occurred, everyone naturally wanted to distance themselves from the Carbonari. Bearing the name of the Carbonari, even if the revolution had succeeded, they would still be killed next by the interfering Allied Forces.

Even overseas, members of the Carbonari dared not reveal their identities. Wanted by more than one or two countries, placed on the blacklist of all European monarchies, they had to live incognito even in the United States.

After going into exile, fierce infighting erupted within the Carbonari. Everyone was blaming and criticizing each other, accusing their counterparts of reckless actions that spoiled the great situation for Italy.

After all, the regicide was planned by others, and it had nothing to do with oneself, even those who were involved are now all eagerly disassociating themselves, fearing the connection to this crime.

External attacks coupled with internal struggles naturally led to the splintering of the once-glorious Carbonari, now resulting in groups like the Italian National Salvation Army, Italy Salvation Society, Italy Freedom Party, Italy Mafia…

Do not misunderstand, the Mafia of this era was not the future criminal organization, but played a very important role in the process of Italy’s independence.

(Note: “Mafia” in Italian stands for “Morto Alla Francia, Italia Anela”—the acronym for “Death to France, Italy Yearns”)

After the Kingdom of Sardinia was occupied by France, anti-French sentiment became the greatest enemy in the hearts of Italians. “Italy Mafia” was a slogan adopted from six hundred years ago when the people of Sicily revolted against the French invaders.

After the split, the Carbonari, both in influence and strength, were far from what they had been initially. Because of their different ideologies, different revolutionary organizations also had their own distinct styles of operation.

In the beginning, the Italian revolutionaries were mostly active on the European Continent, especially in Paris, which was the most popular among them. In order to trouble Austria, France had always been their largest benefactor.

Things always change, however, and after the regicide, their days became difficult. At that time, the French government decided to annex the Kingdom of Sardinia, making these revolutionary organizations a hidden threat.

If it weren’t for the Parisians being too enthusiastic and tipping them off beforehand, most of the key members of these revolutionary organizations would probably have fallen into the hands of the French government.

As the influence of the regicide fermented, many people realized something was amiss and began to flee the European Continent.

Choosing the United States at this time was also an act of desperation. Insurrections also need funding; originally, the British were a good sponsor, but the diplomatic pressure from France and Austria was too great, and the London Government could not withstand it.

After all, such affairs could be conducted in secret, but if matters got out of hand, it would only lead to mutual destruction. The British could support the Italian Revolutionary Party, just as France and Austria could support the Irish Independence Organization.

Exile to the United States was different, firstly because the distance was far enough, and it was very difficult for France and Austria to discover them if they kept a low profile; secondly, there were many Italian immigrants in the United States, providing ample human resources and financial support.

Now, all the Italian Revolutionary Organizations are taking shelter under local mafia groups, and the Federal government turns a blind eye, making the investigation team’s warrants mere decorations here.

One of the leaders of the Italian immigrants in the United States, Ghulat, asked, “Gentlemen, what do you think about the proposal from the Americans?”

There is strength in numbers, and although Italians face discrimination in the United States, there are still millions of them; they wield a social impact incomparable to that of the Polish or Hungarians.

The Federal government, naturally, could not resort to blatant threats but instead opted for cooperation, namely: funding their expenses, weapons, and ammunition, in exchange for them to incite a rebellion in the Italian Area.

Leader of the Italian National Salvation Army, Garibaldi, proposed, “Since we’re going to start a rebellion sooner or later, with the Americans’ funding we can lessen everyone’s burden, so we can agree to their terms.”

Helpless after France occupied the Kingdom of Sardinia, Garibaldi, along with his supporters who were unwilling to concede defeat, launched an armed rebellion.

What followed was undoubtedly quick work by the French Army; the Rebel Army was dealt with in no time. Had they not seen the unfavorable situation and made a quick escape, they would have been captured.

The failed uprising turned them into wanted criminals by the French, making the Italian Area no longer a safe place to stay. When it came to crushing the Italian Revolutionary Organizations, France and Austria were in agreement, making the European Continent unsafe.

After the Polish uprising erupted, stimulated Italian Independent Organizations, with Garibaldi at the forefront, became restless and wanted to continue to launch armed uprisings.

Leader of the Italy Freedom Party, Antonio, objected, “But now, with the might of France and Austria so great, even if we were to succeed in the rebellion, we wouldn’t be able to withstand their counterattack.

Before there is a change in the situation on the European Continent, we should not act rashly, to avoid wasting our precious revolutionary forces for nothing.”

This was the majority view. Looking at all the revolutionary organizations in various countries, Poland’s situation was not as bad as that of Italy.

Though Poland was occupied by the Russo-Prussian-Austrian triumvirate, if the Revolutionaries just calm down and focus on seeking independence from Russia alone, they would have the support of various European nations, facing only one enemy in the short term.

Italy’s attempt at independence, however, was tragic – neither France nor Austria could be bypassed, and even Spain was an obstacle. Many European nations sympathized with them, yet very few dared to offer support.

This included the British, who had previously supported them but had now suspended their aid. Without a doubt, John Bull did not believe they could overthrow the twin behemoths of France and Austria to unify the Italian Area.

Under such circumstances, not only was the success rate for launching uprisings low, but it also carried a high risk of backfiring. Don’t think that being in the United States equates to safety; if pushed too far, France and Austria dare to send their Allied Forces to land in New York to seek retribution.

In this era, the great powers are so domineering. They haven’t waged a great war before simply because they didn’t take them seriously; they weren’t worth the effort of starting a battle.

But if they are truly provoked, Paris and Vienna would not hesitate to annihilate them at any cost; the current United States Federal Government does not have the capacity to shelter them.

If France and Austria now intend to compromise with the Federal government, perhaps they will be repatriated tomorrow as wanted criminals. The promises of politicians only hold as long as they align with their own interests.

Garibaldi explained, “We only agreed to initiate a rebellion in the Italian Area, we made no promise about where to start the uprising.

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Sardinia, Lombardy, Veneto—these areas, where the enemy’s strength is profound, we simply have no chance of success.

But what if we change our way of thinking? Why must we start with the difficult and follow with the easy? Can’t we target the regions where the enemy’s power is weaker?

History has taught us that the path to the unification of Italy cannot possibly start with success in Northern Italy.

Why did the Kingdom of Sardinia fail? Was it not because they chose the wrong target from the start!

What if in 1848 we had not attacked Lombardy and Veneto, but started with Central and Southern Italy instead?

At that time, France and Austria were deeply mired in revolution and powerless to intervene; once we unified Central and Southern Italy, all that would remain would be Lombardy and Veneto—could the French still swallow us in one bite?”

People are reflective, and although it somewhat suggests the wisdom of hindsight, everyone must admit that the initial strategic mindset was wrong.

Many present had contributed to the Kingdom of Sardinia’s strategic blunder. They naively assumed Austria would easily fall, allowing for a swift defeat and the unification of Italy.

Under such misconceptions, they manipulated public opinion to coerce the government into waging the Ausa War, consequently dooming the Kingdom of Sardinia’s fate.

Even more disastrous was the subsequent regicidal plot conceived by some genius, which directly buried the Kingdom of Sardinia and made Italian unification even more unattainable.

The leader of the Italy Mafia, Vargis, asked with doubt, “It’s not that easy. The Central and Southern Region are also under the control of the great powers. Once we initiate the uprising, Austria, Spain, and France might all send troops to intervene.

“The current chaos in Europe is not yet enough to keep them at bay. If any of them send troops, we’ll have a hard time coping.”

Garibaldi merely smiled coldly and said, “What’s there to fear? It’s not just us participating in this uprising.

“The Americans want to alleviate the pressure they face; it’s not likely that we’re the only one they support. The French Revolutionary Party, the Spanish Revolutionary Party, and the Hungarian Independence Organization among others are our allies.

“With everyone acting together, the enemies will also prioritize their responses. As long as we defeat those few decrepit Italian Sub-States, we’ll have succeeded in the first step.

“Once we unify Central and Southern Italy, we’ll be a mid-sized country, and not even France and Austria could swallow us whole. By exploiting the conflicts among European nations, we can survive.

“With this leverage, we can then slowly build strength and look for the right opportunity to unify the entire Italy.”

This pep talk was to boost morale, but amongst the many revolutionary organizations in Europe, only a few truly had power.

The Polish Independence Organization was already in action, and fighting tooth and nail with the Russians; we couldn’t count on them at all.

The fever for revolution in the French Revolutionary Party had greatly diminished recently. Provoked by the annexation of the Kingdom of Sardinia, many members turned coat and began to support the rule of Napoleon III.

The Irish Independence Organization had nothing to do with them. The United Kingdom was not an obstacle to Italian independence, and there was no foundation for cooperation between the two sides.

The Spanish Revolutionary Party was persistent in their struggle, staging uprisings as common occurrences. Their main base was within Spain, with only a small branch in the United States.

Estimated to accomplish a diversion, the Spanish Revolutionary Party might be the only one. But why would they help? Don’t think that all revolutionary organizations in the world are one big family. Conflicts arise over interests more often than not.

The most typical example was the discord between the French Revolutionary Party and the Italian Revolutionary Party. The concept of Great France was inclusive of Italy, and many in the French Revolutionary Party also supported Napoleon III’s annexation of the Kingdom of Sardinia.

The conflict had arisen, and it was irreconcilable. Moreover, French revolutions were almost always dramatic, operating without much leadership.

As long as the Monarch incurred public ire or suddenly angered them, if someone started an uprising, the Parisians would spontaneously join in.

Take the February Revolution, for instance; it was declared after a few irate people beat up some police during a protest. The casualties were fewer than ten from the start of the uprising to the success of the revolution.

This sort of jaw-dropping revolutionary movement was unique to the conditions of France. No other country could replicate it; whoever tried would surely end in a bloody disaster.

Bloodshed and sacrifice in French revolutions typically occurred after the fact.

Before or during the revolution, a death toll in the hundreds would be considered a heavy loss; in later conflicts, it wasn’t dignified to call it a revolution if tens of thousands didn’t die.

Garibaldi had long wished to start an uprising in Sicily, but, unfortunately, he lacked the strength, and his backers were too few to be confident in success.

After all, with the Kingdom of Sardinia gone, even assembling a thousand-strong Red Shirts Army was no easy feat.

Setting aside military expenses and personnel, how to transport people to the destination was a colossal challenge. Without collaboration, they might well be thrown overboard to feed the fish on the way.

Even if they landed in stages, without local revolutionary organizations’ coordination and cover, such big moves couldn’t possibly escape the Ruler’s notice.

…

After a heated debate, everyone ultimately decided to go for it. They agreed to launch an armed uprising in the Central and Southern Italy, and as for Sardinia, Lombardy, and Veneto, these tough nuts — whoever wanted to tackle them could do so.

Even if they didn’t unify the entire Italy, many were satisfied with uniting the Southern Region. After all, they were just using this slogan to cheat the common people; anyone who took it seriously was a fool.

Italy had never been unified; it was the capitalists driving the push for unification for their own interests—never think the Italian people truly embrace a grand unification.

…

These days, the United States was restless, with many exiled revolutionary organizations holding meetings and discussions. There were those who decided to take action, those who watched from the sidelines, and the majority who were stirring up trouble.

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