Unification of European Countries

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Unification of European Countries

Metternich described Italy as a mere geographical expression because, before 1860, Italy was not a unified state (McKay, 2011). Italy had different sovereign states that the kings, who had an association with foreign nations, such as Austria and France, administered and governed. It was after 1860 when many Italians preferred unification as various leaders, including Mazzini, made attempts towards unifying Italy (McKay, 2011). The basic approaches of Italian unification include the use of a centralized democratic republic, federation of Italian states under the influence of a pope, and Sardinia-Piedmont's independent kingdom to rule Italy (McKay, 2011). Sardinia-Piedmont's independent kingdom was the basic approach that prevailed because it was more feasible than was the case with the other approaches (McKay, 2011). The centralized democratic republic appeared to be extremely radical and the federation of Italian states that the pope ruled seemed unlikely. Since 1860 it took Italy only one year to become one country, as all Italian states underwent unification (McKay, 2011).

As various events regarding unification took place in Italy, Germany also put a considerable effort for its own unification process. However, the unification process took several decades, which was not the case with the unification process in Italy (McKay, 2011). In Germany, Zollverein was one of the most significant agents that contributed to the unification of a large number of states. The Zollverein refers to the Germans, who aimed at destroying Austria and uniting Germany (McKay, 2011). Zollverein was extremely significant in the unification of Germany because it induced trade and ameliorated the member-states' economies. This union could not benefit the Austria because of economical unfeasibility. Zollverein ensured that there was free trade, uniform tariff on every frontier, and equal subdivision of net proceeds within the entire population (McKay, 2011). The union embraced a common...