Following Italy's unification in 1861, the nation suffered from a lack of raw materials, economic imbalance between the North and South, the absence of educational systems and the great cost of unification itself. Italy faced these challenges and made great advances over the fifty years that followed.Continue Reading
Specifically, political resolutions and the Industrial Revolution helped to restore some balance, both to government and the economy.
Some important problems remained unresolved, however, including illiteracy and poverty, with the latter being a major contributor to Italian emigration to the United States.
Prior to its unification, following the collapse of the Roman Empire, Italy had long been a conglomeration of independent city-states and territories. Occasionally these were subject to foreign rule, especially by Spain, France and the Holy Roman Empire.
Following the defeat of Napoleon I, many of these independent territories were consolidated by the Congress of Vienna. The resulting sovereign territories were: