In Czechoslovak history: National awakening and the rise of constitutionalism However, Austria’s military defeat in 1859 by Sardinia, aided by France, revealed the weakness of the government. The defeat resulted in the loss of Lombardy, and the Bach government had to resign. In the October Diploma of 1860 and the February Patent of 1861, Francis Joseph… Read More
France
In France: The liberal years …Austrians into a declaration of war in April 1859, and Napoleon led his armies across the Alps. French victories at Magenta and Solferino were followed by a somewhat premature settlement in which the Austrians turned over the province of Lombardy to the Piedmontese. The campaign had aroused the passions of… Read More
Germany
In Germany: The 1860s: the triumphs of Bismarck …defeat of Austria in the war against France and Piedmont had a profound effect on the German states. For one thing, the maintenance of the authoritarian regime in Vienna depended on respect for its military strength. Now that the Habsburg armies had shown themselves to be vulnerable, popular unrest in… Read More
Italy
In Italy: The war of 1859 In 1857 Italian nationalists founded the monarchist-unionist Italian National Society, which supported the policies of Cavour. Under the presidency of Manin and the vice presidency of Garibaldi, the society achieved wider appeal than it would have achieved under the exclusive leadership of… Read More
role of
Cavour
In Camillo Benso, count di Cavour: Statesman of Camillo Benso, count di Cavour …Cavour agreed to provoke a European war against Austria in the following year. At the first suspicions of a secret agreement, the European powers—especially England—began a campaign to prevent the French and Piedmontese from carrying out their intentions, a campaign so intense that Cavour saw himself being dragged toward the… Read More
Francis Joseph
In Franz Joseph: The years of decision, 1859–70 …the outcome of the impending war with Prussia. As the emperor considered it incompatible with the army’s honour to cede a province without fighting, war with Italy broke out despite the agreement. In later years, Franz Joseph characterized his policy of yielding territory with one hand while fighting for it… Read More
Napoleon III
In Napoleon III: Foreign policy as emperor …with Piedmont-Sardinia, he went to war against Austria in order to expel it from Italy. A promoter of technical warfare, he witnessed the success of his modernized artillery and of the military use of the captive balloon. The fact that at the victorious Battle of Solferino in June 1859 he… Read More
