The unification of Germany and Italy served as the model for Arab nationalist unification

Evidence

Rather more important than the influence of European ideas was the influence of European example, the most relevant here being the models offered by the Germans and Italians in the cre­ ation of a single powerful nation state where there had previously been a mosaic of small states, most of them of minor significance. The examples of Germany and Italy were and have remained a powerful stimulus to movements of this kind among the Muslim and Arab peoples, and there has been no lack of can­ didates among the states of the area for the role of Prussia or Piedmont in the creation of a greater unity. — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 834

Categorization

• XREF: The Prussia/Piedmont aspirants idea parallels similar ‘unifier-state’ debates elsewhere (e.g. Russia for Slavic unity).
• SEED: The idea of states actively casting themselves as Prussia or Piedmont — a ‘unifier fantasy’ — could anchor an essay on how unification narratives borrow political templates across regions.