Question

“Young Italy”, the secret society of Italy was set up by
A. Garibaldi
B. Cavour
C. Mazzini
D. Victor Emannuel

Answer 1

Hint: In Marseilles, in July 1831 Young Italy was in charge of promoting the struggle for Italian freedom and unification, as a national youth of Italy. The main goal of this movement was to create a united Italian republic.

Complete answer:
Young Italy was founded in 1831 by Giuseppe Mazzini as a nationalist movement working for Italian independence. It plotted several insurrections against established regimes in accordance with Republican ideals. Comprising patriots residing on and without the Italian peninsula, the association conducted the battle against Risorgimento up to the biennium of 1848-1849.

In order to avoid serving a condemnation of his political actions, Mazzini resided in the French port area. On his leaving Italy, France was motivated to predict a similar result by the success of the July 1830 revolution in Italy. After the revolutionary attempts in Italy in the Austrian invasion, Mazzini founded Young Italy.

Young Italy recruited other patriotic communities in Italy and among the political exiles abroad. The name was a reminder of the young man's confidence that the revolutionaries of the elder generation lost, and of his discontent with Carbonas' political methods, the underground society behind the failure of the 1820-1821 and 1830-1831 revolutions. Mazzini wished that Young Italy would function as a patriot umbrella organisation that embraced its fundamental values, namely republicanism, social justice and trust in the people and the new Italian mission.

Let’s analyse the given options:
Option A) Garibaldi - He was an Italian General, patriot, republican who helped to bring Italy together and establish the Kingdom of Italy but he was not the founder of the Young Italy movement. Therefore, this option is incorrect.
Option B) Cavour - He was a key Italian statesman in the campaign of unification in Italy but he was not the founder of the Young Italy movement. Therefore, this option is incorrect.
Option C) Mazzini - He was an Italian politician, journalist, unification fighter for Italy and a leader in the revolutionary Italian movement and he was the founder of the Young Italy movement. Therefore, this option is correct.
Option D) Victor Emmanuel - He was the first king of united Italy since the 6th century but he was not the founder of the Young Italy movement. Therefore, this option is incorrect.

Therefore, the correct option is ‘C’ i.e, Mazzini. “Young Italy”, the secret society of Italy was set up by Giuseppe Mazzini in 1831.

Note: Its membership was not necessarily secret, but in contrast to most secret societies that kept their goals and programmes mysterious, Young Italy publicly declared her intentions and widely recruited and published her message in printed form and by word of mouth.