Neo-Guelphism offered a papal federation vision defeated by the Risorgimento monarchy

Evidence

Neo-Guelphism was a liberal catholic movement in Italy in the first half of the nineteenth century. The term was coined by its enemies (the Guelphs had been the Papal party in mediaeval and pre-renaissance Italy), but was accepted by its members who were quite willing to be identified with the pre-renaissance Papacy, which they saw as symbolising Italian unity and independence. Their aim was an Italian federation under the Pope. Prominent neo-Guelphs included Gioberti (see note 36 on p. 399 ) and Manzoni, the author of The Betrothed (see note 73 on p. 375 ). The movement’s ideals were definitively proved illusory when the Risorgimento created a national Italian state under the Piedmont monarchy, and when the Pope refused to come to terms with that state; most of its members in fact then rallied to the monarchy. It can be seen as a precursor of the Popular Party (see note 14 on p. 62 ) and hence ultimately of the Christian Democrat Party of today. — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1875

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines Neo-Guelphism as a historical movement and traces its genealogical descent into the Christian Democrat Party.

Related

• The Risorgimento proved Neo-Guelph papal federation illusory (similarity 0.90)
• Neo-Guelphism sought an Italian federation under the Pope (similarity 0.80)