Il viaggio di Garibaldi in Inghilterra e la crisi della democrazia italiana dopo l'unità

As regards Garibaldi's visit, we only have some short essays by Noel Blakiston and few references in various books. Yet this event deserves careful study. Although its consequences on Britain's own politics were almost irrevelant (at the best one can only refer to a particularly charged political climate presaging the founding of the International Working Men's Association -- The First International -- a few months later) its repercussions on Italian home and foreign politics were of some importance. In the present study, the author after a hastly glance at documents in the Public Record Office, limits her research to the Italian environment. Journals, memoirs and published documents on Garibaldian matters are not very explicit about Garibaldi's visit and there is only limited evidence on the matter to be found in the papers of Bertani, Guerzoni and Guastalla. Moreover since most of the documents are of private interest, very few show clearly the expectations of Garibaldi's followers -- eventually to be disappointed -- or of the disputes in and secessions from the Action Party. Mortally struck by the Aspromonte episode, split into different sections, partly absorbed and attracted by the new unification and monarchical order, still partially linked to Mazzini's traditional conspiratorial system. The Action Party hoped to derive fresh vigour from Garibaldi's triumphant visit to England. The "moderates", too, although afraid of possible political implications, especially as regards French-Italian diplomatic relations, hoped to gain something from Garibaldi's visit. King Victor Emmanuel was at the moment thinking -- as he often did in those years -- of a possible expedition to Galitia and the Danubian territories with a view to getting possession of the Vene o, and Garibaldi might very well in his opinion have been the right man to lead it. At the same time some of Garibaldi's most faithful followers and closest friends were trying to get his attention back on to Italy's own problems, and to draw him away as far as possible from the international democratic traditions so vehemently affirmed during his visit to England. The documents, mainly coming from the Minghetti manuscripts and the Bertani, Guerzoni and Guastalla papers (see text and appendix) give ample evidence of the various pressure exerted on Garibaldi during his visit to England by different political groups. His seemingly sudden decision to leave England appears quite clear. Amazed and excited by th