Question: why was nationalism particularly significant to italian unification

title: Italian nationalism
text: The initial important figure in the development of Italian nationalism was Giuseppe Mazzini , who became a nationalist in the 1820s . In his political career , Mazzini held as objectives the liberation of Italy from the Austrian occupation , indirect control by Austria , princely despotism , aristocratic privilege , and clerical authority . Mazzini was captivated by ancient Rome that he considered the `` temple of humanity '' and sought to establish a united Italy as a `` Third Rome '' that emphasized Roman spiritual values that Italian nationalists claimed were preserved by the Catholic Church . Mazzini and Italian nationalists in general promoted the concept of Romanità ( the Roman - ness ) , which claimed that Roman culture made invaluable contributions to the Italian and Western civilization . Since the 1820s , Mazzini supported a revolution to create a utopy of an ideal Italian republic based in Rome . Mazzini formed revolutionary patriotic Young Italy society in 1832 . Upon Young Italy breaking apart in the 1830s , Mazzini reconstituted it in 1839 with the intention to gain the support of workers ' groups . However , at the time Mazzini was hostile to socialism due to his belief that all classes needed to be united in the cause of creating a united Italy rather than divided against each other . Giuseppe