Cavour was a very important, if not key player in the reunification of Italy in the 1800s. His role in Italian unification is widely debated, as are is aims and underlying motives. Many hold contrasting views as to whether he was an Italian nationalist or merely a Piedmontese expansionist, and the subject is still a controversial one to this day. The existence of many wide-ranging sources which often challenge each other on the subject does not make the task of determining what drove Cavour any easier for scholars. It is often agreed, however, that Cavour was a very important catalyst in the unification of Italy, wittingly or not. In this essay I shall examine Cavour's role in Italy in the period between 1852 and 1861, and attempt to determine his intentions.
After holding various posts in government and parliament alike, Cavour became premier or prime minister of Piedmont-Sardinia in 1852. As prime minister, Cavour undertook many reforms which many deemed controversial at the time. His reforms largely liberalised the state, and also modernized it in many ways. …
