Cinquant'anni di padri della patria 1848-1900

One of main examples of the organization of political consent and of the building of nation-wide feeling can be found in Italy during the second part of 19th century. In the recent years, historical studies have been increasingly oriented in investigating how the events and the figures of the period known as “Risorgimento” have been re-interpreted in the subsequent years in a mythical and celebrative way to support and legitimate the political choices of specific groups. Nonetheless, so far none of these studies have analyzed how was created an interest among the wide public around the protagonists of the political events of Italian “Risorgimento”. In this context, the present study investigates how key figures as Giuseppe Mazzini, Vittorio Emanuele II, Giuseppe Garibaldi and Camillo Benso di Cavour were seen by the public opinion in the second half of 19th century and how the re-interpretations of the events that had led to the reunification of Italy were used to create the myth of the “Fathers of the Nation”. The analysis concerns the period between 1848 and 1900 and has been divided in three sections: the first (1848-1861) concerns the events that led to the reunification of Italy when those who would became the Fathers of the Nation were still interacting each other some time in a conflicting manner. The second section consider the period 1861-1976 when the antagonism between these figures was changing to memory. The last section deals with the period between 1875 and 1900 in which the left-wing governments promoted a re-interpretation of the events of “Risorgimento” in a way that mitigated the contrasts and strengthen the public consent around those who were seen as founders of the nations.