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Lecture Fifteen: Revision
"History does nothing, it possesses no immediate wealth, it wages no battles. It is man, real living man, that does all that, that possesses and fights. 'History' is not a person apart, using man as a means for its own particular aims - history is nothing but the activity of man pursuing his aims" Marx and Engels
So ends our history of Papal Italy. This module has examined both the rise of the 19th C Holy See and the causes for its rapid collapse. In doing so we have avoided mention of the religious dimension to Papal rule. It is not hard to understand why this particular factor should lead to controversy in evaluating the history of Papal Italy, but there is no reason why any historian should shirk from addressing the more divisive aspects of the past. That religious matters have not featured prominently in this history is not due to cowardice on the behalf of the author but a simple disagreement on the importance of this aspect. Papal Italy was a theocracy, almost unique in 19th C historiography, and almost every decision made by either Gregory XVI or Pius IV was to some degree informed by religious concerns. However, and in the language of the Papacy, we as historians are solely obliged with events in the temporal sphere. The various motivations of the Holy See are of less importance to us than the impact of the resulting actions and decisions. Religion did not prove to be a unifying or otherwise significant force for the vast majority of the Italian population and the material results of Church ecclesiastical decisions were minimal. The Vatican can therefore be treated and evaluated in the same manner as other contemporary regime.
With this in mind, the brief period in which all of Italy was ruled from the Holy See (1863-'78), fittingly labelled Papal Italy, is hardly replete with positives. It may appear harsh but the temporal rule of the Holy See failed to overcome almost every challenge that it faced during the brief decade of its existence. Policies that were successful in the Papal States failed to surmount the difficulties that accompanied the creation of a national Italian state. That the greatest success of the Papacy did much to encourage the causes of its downfall is a somewhat ironic, if not surprising, development. Defeating the Austrians and petty Italian princes proved to be far easier than forging a national programme that all could identify with*. It must be said however that Papal victory was never entirely complete and national unity was superficial at best. Attempts to impose a centralised Roman government on the entire peninsula could hardly have succeeded, under any government, without decades in which to work. Clearly the degree of integration achieved prior to the collapse of Papal Italy was not sufficient enough to prevent the most marked result of the Italian Revolution - the disintegration of Italy as a national entity.
Most important of all was the consistent refusal of the Holy See to allow for political reforms of any nature. Power in Papal Italy remained firmly in the hands of the Vatican with the entire population, aside from the clergy, effectively divorced from the political process. The Italy envisioned by the Pope was merely an extension of the Catholic Church and was to be run along the same unyielding lines. Repeated petitions for change were rejected out of hand and the Church actively sought to suppress and discourage even the mildest of reform movements. This absence of avenues in which to peacefully register discontent ensured that the old Italian tradition of secret societies continued to thrive and, in the case of the industrial cities, intertwine with the emerging trade union movement. Facing with growing challenges to its rule the response of the Vatican was nothing short of open terror. We will never know the numbers of political opponents killed by the Papal intelligence services and paramilitaries but the Papacy's habit of ruthlessly quashing any demonstration of opposition is not in question. The history of Papal Italy can thus be viewed as an ever escalating conflict between the Church and its subjects. In this war of attrition there could only ever be one victor.
Much of Italy was reduced to ruins during the Revolution and following Civil War
Despite the many failures outlined above, a vocal school of thought has emerged in recent decades that takes a very different view of Papal Italy. Largely comprised of American academics, many of whose descendents were forced to cross the Atlantic by the chaos wrought by the Papacy's successor states, these historians tend to emphasise the stability generated by the Vatican rule and contrast this with the bloodshed generated by its collapse. Secondly they stress the complex social-political composition of the Italian peninsula - such a divided territory, they argue, could never have evolved into a democratic unitary state by following the parliamentary course as navigated by England or France - and thus some justification can be provided for the absolutist rule of the Pope. These "revisionist" arguments can be easily dealt with. The first position (that the Papacy was some benign force for stability) is patently false - explosive social unrest and anger was a defining characteristic of Papal Italy from its very inception, and this was only contained by the application of state terror and systematic repression of any and all opposition. That the power of the Holy See rested on its armies is not an indication of any "flaws" in Italian society (surely it was not more divided multinational Britain?) but the repeated refusal of the Vatican to surrender any degree of power to secular or popular authorities.
This is the crux of the spectacular collapse of Papal Italy. The armies of Pius were able to exploit and conquer a divided peninsula but it proved impossible to appease the masses without fatally compromising the regime's core positions. There were reformers within the Church but Pius found it simply impossible to delegate or surrender the authority that had, he believed, been entrusted to him from the Heavens. The alternative to political concessions was social measures designed to alleviate the wretched conditions that the majority of the population laboured under… but again the Vatican refused to act. The Papal government could not afford, economically or politically, the type of Bismarckian social reforms that sustained the German Empire. In their absence the autocratic regime of the Pope could only fight the rising tide of revolution for so long. It is the same lesson as taught to students of both Russia and Austria-Hungary, and one that the rulers of these two empires themselves failed to learn.
The revisionists are correct in one regard however. In sketching the social forces that propelled Italy into both unification and revolution we should not lose ourselves to the tempting embrace of historical determinism. It was by no means inevitable that the Papal States should have emerged as the foremost Italian state and it was not inevitable that Papal Italy should collapse into revolution and civil war. At each and every stage of the history presented here there have been men present with the power and the capabilities to chart a different course and future. We cannot blame these figures for lacking the invaluable gift of hindsight but we can acknowledge the mistakes made and the opportunities missed. In the final analysis the rise and fall of Papal Italy was determined by none other than those men who pursued, with the approval of God, the right to rule her.
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* Later historians have stressed the shaky foundations of both the Houses of Bourbon and Savoy. The assumption that these were kingdoms destined for collapse is almost certainly true in the case of Two Sicilies but considerably more doubtful for Sardinia-Piedmont
**The long serving Secretary of State Giacomo Antonelli was the worst offender in this regard. The notoriously corrupt lay cardinal was effectively governor of Rome and Prime Minister of Papal Italy until his death in 1876. Examination of the Vatican accounts following his death found them to be in complete disarray… although Antonelli's family inherited a considerable fortune. This fascinating figure has at last been given the full biographical treatment in "Coppa, F.J., (1990), Cardinal Giacomo Antonelli and Papal Politics in European Affairs"
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And there our history ends. Its taken the better part of three months but the Rise and Fall of Papal Italy is finally documented in full. I had my doubts going into this AAR but they have been completely dispelled by the fantastic response received. So a massive thanks to all readers and commentators for keeping this AAR going.
Now I know that many of you, echoing asd21593's comment, will be disappointed that I didn't round this off with a grand epilogue that fills in the history to follow. I'm disappointed myself at that. The basic problem is that I don't know what is to follow and I'm not yet at the stage where I'm ready to sit down and sketch out a new history... not as long as there is the possibility of a sequel at least. I tried to fit in a brief mention of the Church's future (it does have one) into the last update but it just didn't work out.
At some point in the coming months I probably will revisit this AAR with a single update to close it off. Until then however I invite any interested readers to take a stab at copying my style and submit their own brief histories of what happens to Italy and the Church. Consider it an assignment
In addition, sometime later this week I'll put together a quick survey to try and gauge peoples' reactions to specific aspects of the AAR. Analysing what went wrong (or right) is half the fun in writing an AAR.
I also see that I made a balls up with the animated GIF. Bugger. I'll fix that later today (Edit: Finally fixed)
RGB: Yeah, I'd always tried to keep my AARs as tightly focused as possible. I'll leave the epic sprawling histories to others (including yourself!). This was one of the most important lessons driven home to me by Les Journals. I do have a few ideas in relation to managing focus however...
stnylan: There's plenty of schools of history... but all except mine are wrong ( ). Your comment pre-empted my final update but this something that I've always been planning to comment on. After all, some historians glorify the German, Austrian, and Tsarist Empires... so why not the Papacy?
VILenin: Thanks. For now I return to my CK AAR but I do hope to revisit this timeline at some point in the (perhaps distant) future.
Dr. Gonzo: It is true, I am a credit to AARland. See what your praise has done?
J. Passepartout: Well if I do (as intended) produce a sequel it will likely be a number of months away. I've also a few ideas running around my head with regards to a switch to a narrative format. We'll see how things go
King of Sand: Thanks for reading. I'm not sure at what point I decided that the AAR would end in revolution but it was fairly close to the beginning. Blame it on my lack of imagination (or politics!) but I just couldn't imagine an absolutist European theocracy surviving into the 20th C
DerKaiser: Damn! I almost made it to the end before someone brought up a Middle East reference
Again, thanks for the praise and the comments. Its been a pleasure to write for an audience that loves to flatter!
CatKnight: Thanks CatKnight! I'm not sure if I stuck too close to history (I'm sure a campaign to retake the Holy Land would have been more exciting) but all in all it worked out well
Cinéad IV: I should finish off AARs more often... all this praise is pretty enjoyable. Cheers
asd21593: Thanks for commentating. I'm sure you know how great it is when someone new comments on your AAR. Its a real buzz
As for a sequel, I've not decided anything yet. That said, I suspect that the Church's time as an independent nationstate is well and truly over. Any sequel will probably focus on the mess it left behind in Italy.
Hastu Neon: Cheers. I keep meaning to check up your own AAR (its odd to have three Italian AARs running at the one time) but alas I've had virtually no time for reading AARs in the past two months
Mr.G 24: You mean the dry and boring style? It continually amazes me that people don't fall asleep while reading my updates!
Now I know that many of you, echoing asd21593's comment, will be disappointed that I didn't round this off with a grand epilogue that fills in the history to follow. I'm disappointed myself at that. The basic problem is that I don't know what is to follow and I'm not yet at the stage where I'm ready to sit down and sketch out a new history... not as long as there is the possibility of a sequel at least. I tried to fit in a brief mention of the Church's future (it does have one) into the last update but it just didn't work out.
At some point in the coming months I probably will revisit this AAR with a single update to close it off. Until then however I invite any interested readers to take a stab at copying my style and submit their own brief histories of what happens to Italy and the Church. Consider it an assignment
In addition, sometime later this week I'll put together a quick survey to try and gauge peoples' reactions to specific aspects of the AAR. Analysing what went wrong (or right) is half the fun in writing an AAR.
I also see that I made a balls up with the animated GIF. Bugger. I'll fix that later today (Edit: Finally fixed)
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RGB: Yeah, I'd always tried to keep my AARs as tightly focused as possible. I'll leave the epic sprawling histories to others (including yourself!). This was one of the most important lessons driven home to me by Les Journals. I do have a few ideas in relation to managing focus however...
stnylan: There's plenty of schools of history... but all except mine are wrong (
). Your comment pre-empted my final update but this something that I've always been planning to comment on. After all, some historians glorify the German, Austrian, and Tsarist Empires... so why not the Papacy?VILenin: Thanks. For now I return to my CK AAR but I do hope to revisit this timeline at some point in the (perhaps distant) future.
Dr. Gonzo: It is true, I am a credit to AARland. See what your praise has done?
J. Passepartout: Well if I do (as intended) produce a sequel it will likely be a number of months away. I've also a few ideas running around my head with regards to a switch to a narrative format. We'll see how things go
King of Sand: Thanks for reading. I'm not sure at what point I decided that the AAR would end in revolution but it was fairly close to the beginning. Blame it on my lack of imagination (or politics!) but I just couldn't imagine an absolutist European theocracy surviving into the 20th C
DerKaiser: Damn! I almost made it to the end before someone brought up a Middle East reference
Again, thanks for the praise and the comments. Its been a pleasure to write for an audience that loves to flatter!
CatKnight: Thanks CatKnight! I'm not sure if I stuck too close to history (I'm sure a campaign to retake the Holy Land would have been more exciting) but all in all it worked out well
Cinéad IV: I should finish off AARs more often... all this praise is pretty enjoyable. Cheers
asd21593: Thanks for commentating. I'm sure you know how great it is when someone new comments on your AAR. Its a real buzz
As for a sequel, I've not decided anything yet. That said, I suspect that the Church's time as an independent nationstate is well and truly over. Any sequel will probably focus on the mess it left behind in Italy.
Hastu Neon: Cheers. I keep meaning to check up your own AAR (its odd to have three Italian AARs running at the one time) but alas I've had virtually no time for reading AARs in the past two months
Mr.G 24: You mean the dry and boring style? It continually amazes me that people don't fall asleep while reading my updates!
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Very interesting format. better than "I clicked that button, then I clicked another" layouts. I liked the animated map of the revolution. Complements!
Hmmm I almost forgot to officially close this out. Well the AAR is officially completed so thanks all for reading. To finish up with the last few comments:
stnylan: Thanks, epilogues are always tough to do but this one finally came together nicely
swach: I'm glad you liked the style. Personally I love history book AARs - more engrossing than simple gameplay accounts and yet not as demanding as full narratives
RGB: It is true and I do rock. That is all
stnylan: Thanks, epilogues are always tough to do but this one finally came together nicely
swach: I'm glad you liked the style. Personally I love history book AARs - more engrossing than simple gameplay accounts and yet not as demanding as full narratives
RGB: It is true and I do rock. That is all
Unfortunately I have arrived as this AAR closes but it has given me the pleasure of reading it straight through in a single sitting, brilliant stuff
Usually people can't wait to get away from one of my AARs so these continued comments are a pleasant surprise. Cheers to both Tribulation and Harley Quinn, I'm actually feeling pretty proud of my efforts now
For those of you who don't read the AARlander, and you all really should, I've been Canonized (technically RGB'd) with an interview by RGB. Amongst other things I talk a bit about both my writing and this specific AAR. I also got a quick nod from anonymous4401 in that same issue so its been a good start to the year for moi
For those of you who don't read the AARlander, and you all really should, I've been Canonized (technically RGB'd) with an interview by RGB. Amongst other things I talk a bit about both my writing and this specific AAR. I also got a quick nod from anonymous4401 in that same issue so its been a good start to the year for moi
Great ending to the AAR, GDCU. This better go the way of Verde or I'll be disappointed
To add to the list of awards for this thing; a final Hurrah! of sorts:
You won History Book for Victoria in the ACA! Going out in style!
You won History Book for Victoria in the ACA! Going out in style!
Another award? *Throws it on the pile... of one*
A huge thanks to everyone who voted for Sins in the AwAARds (that just doesn't look right). Amazingly enough the number of votes cast this quarter matched the numbers from the previous quarter.... impressive considering that the AAR actually finished almost a month before voting started! Again, the attention and recognition of you readers is deeply flattering. So cheers
As a (very small) reward here's a quick map I made this evening of the political borders of Italy in 1878. Its a bit crude (for some reason my PC is crawling) but I hope its of interest to some. As an aside, Sicily was supposed to be called "The Vesper Communes" but for some reason I completely forgot that when labelling the map *Shrugs*
A huge thanks to everyone who voted for Sins in the AwAARds (that just doesn't look right). Amazingly enough the number of votes cast this quarter matched the numbers from the previous quarter.... impressive considering that the AAR actually finished almost a month before voting started! Again, the attention and recognition of you readers is deeply flattering. So cheers
As a (very small) reward here's a quick map I made this evening of the political borders of Italy in 1878. Its a bit crude (for some reason my PC is crawling) but I hope its of interest to some. As an aside, Sicily was supposed to be called "The Vesper Communes" but for some reason I completely forgot that when labelling the map *Shrugs*
ComradeOm said:Another award? *Throws it on the pile... of one*
A huge thanks to everyone who voted for Sins in the AwAARds (that just doesn't look right). Amazingly enough the number of votes cast this quarter matched the numbers from the previous quarter.... impressive considering that the AAR actually finished almost a month before voting started! Again, the attention and recognition of you readers is deeply flattering. So cheers
As a (very small) reward here's a quick map I made this evening of the political borders of Italy in 1878. Its a bit crude (for some reason my PC is crawling) but I hope its of interest to some. As an aside, Sicily was supposed to be called "The Vesper Communes" but for some reason I completely forgot that when labelling the map *Shrugs*
Interesting lay out, Italy is truly in dissaray
Is a sequal on the cards then?
Also, Could there be a better word to "Anarchy?"
I mean it might be right but it really looks jarring to me, perhaps syndicate? Or is it trully a lawless area?
I mean it might be right but it really looks jarring to me, perhaps syndicate? Or is it trully a lawless area?
My mind was insisting on reading one of those as "Steirmark" instead of "St. Mark".
How did I miss this one? Great job, amazing AAR. I loved following the impact, both physically and then philosophically, of Mazzini through the history of Italy. I must say, Historians will long conclude that the decision of the Papal States to send an army to aid the French during the Franco-Prussian war may in fact have been their down fall.
Great AAR, amazing history.
Great AAR, amazing history.
I have been following your aar all the time, but never commented. I should have, as it's brilliant! (The aar not my comments, obviously).
I read all of your updates and wished there were more -- and I don't usually read narrative or history-book aars. I especially like your style of maps. Very immersive and in-period, but still gameplay-centered.
Do write another aar!
I read all of your updates and wished there were more -- and I don't usually read narrative or history-book aars. I especially like your style of maps. Very immersive and in-period, but still gameplay-centered.
Do write another aar!
Sorry about the delay in getting back with these comments but life has been busy of late... which has also put a break on my AAR writing
Jape: At this stage I can say that there may be a sequel at some possible point in the future. I have a rough idea of where I'd like the story to go but I'm not sure if I'll ever get round to it. We'll see
CCA: The "Anarchy of Naples" was very much a last minute name creation when inspiration failed me. Its supposed to be the part of the peninsula where no central government emerged and thus remains an effective anarchy (in the negative sense)
J. Passepartout: I did a bit of experimentation with the text on this map and by and large I think it worked well. Placing text on these maps is always problematic though and I can see where some confusion could arise
RGB: Well I am a tortured poet at heart. If you look back through this AAR you'll see how I've reached deep into myself to wrench out bits of my soul and splay them across the page in a fittingly avant garde manner. Witness:
Many liberals who had previous advocated unification,
now found themselves longing for a return to the,
limited,
rule of Savoy
Estonianzulu: and safferli I never know what to say to such praise. Except thanks of courseo
Jape: At this stage I can say that there may be a sequel at some possible point in the future. I have a rough idea of where I'd like the story to go but I'm not sure if I'll ever get round to it. We'll see
CCA: The "Anarchy of Naples" was very much a last minute name creation when inspiration failed me. Its supposed to be the part of the peninsula where no central government emerged and thus remains an effective anarchy (in the negative sense)
J. Passepartout: I did a bit of experimentation with the text on this map and by and large I think it worked well. Placing text on these maps is always problematic though and I can see where some confusion could arise
RGB: Well I am a tortured poet at heart. If you look back through this AAR you'll see how I've reached deep into myself to wrench out bits of my soul and splay them across the page in a fittingly avant garde manner. Witness:
Many liberals who had previous advocated unification,
now found themselves longing for a return to the,
limited,
rule of Savoy
Estonianzulu: and safferli I never know what to say to such praise. Except thanks of course
o