He was born in Genoa in 1805 during a time when Italy was broken up into smaller states controlled by foreign powers or kings.
Idea of Italian Nationalism
United Italy: He wanted to free Italy from outside control (especially the Austrian Empire) and unite all the broken-up states into one single country.
Romantic Nationalism: He did not just care about drawing borders, he instead believed a nation was tied together by “spiritual” bonds, love, and fellowship.
Nation Over Individual: He was not a “liberal” nationalist. He believed the goals of the nation were more important than an individual’s personal freedom. He saw uniting Italy as a mission from God.
Important Writing: He wrote his ideas down in a book called The Duties of Man (1860).
Idea of Republicanism
No Kings: He believed that a country ruled by a king (a hereditary monarchy) was not actually free.
Power to the People: He believed that nationalism had to be combined with popular democracy. The people should hold the power, not a royal family.
His overarching goal was to create a “new Rome” inspired by the classical Roman Republic.
Key Actions and Movements
Young Italy (“Giovine Italia”): In 1831, he started a secret group called Young Italy. Its goal was to get young people to rise up and fight for a free, united, democratic Italy.
1848 Revolution(s): He was inspired by the French Revolution. In 1848, when revolutions spread across Europe, Mazzini led revolts across Italy to fight foreign rule.
(Life in) Exile: When the 1848 revolts were crushed, Mazzini had to run away to places like Switzerland, France, and England. Even in hiding, he kept building networks to fight for Italy.
Legacy
The “Risorgimento”: Even though he died before he could see a fully united, democratic republic, his hard work laid the foundation for the “Risorgimento” (the Italian unification movement).
End Result: Italy finally became a united kingdom in 1861, though it was still ruled by a king instead of the true republic Mazzini wanted.