‘We bought at midnight, and it was not yet dawn; They may have been small princely states as they were during the British period; It may have grown bigger than all this’, has arisen as a great debate among the people born after 2000. An alternative view is necessary; When it comes to delusions, one only needs to look back at history.
If we leave the history of India aside and look at the history of the world, some surprises will come up. No nation was created without sword and blood. European countries like India were the countries that were trapped in the colonialism of some superpower. How did you recover? How did they structure themselves? In the late 19th century, a wave swept across Europe. It came in small waves and touched the shore. It is not a tsunami that overturns the person; Nationalist wave. Who are we? What is our identity? What is our culture?
Why have we lost everything? Should we govern ourselves? Where did we go wrong? This has suddenly appeared to European countries. The lost identities must be rediscovered… All the scattered people must join together… Only if we are united, we can be unique without being caught by the superpowers that take over the country… The wave of nationalism has knocked the European people! The superpowers like France, Britain, Dutch, Austria, A time when European countries were enslaved and turned their attention to Asia. World politics was the race for power. Italians also thought that ‘to escape the power struggle and to defend ourselves we must recover our cultural identity’.
Like India, Italy is a peninsular country. From culture to the shape of the national flag, Italy and India are closely related. The similarities between the Indian national flag and the green, white and red colors of the Italian national flag can be seen from a distance. India is a blessed nation compared to Italy. A nation that was continuously ruled only by the British. Although the French and Dutch came to India to trade, they could not hold out for long like the British.
India never had the problem that Italy had. India’s cultural history begins at least 6,000 years ago. Although divided into petty principalities, a cultural thread centered on Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Though united in diversity, the cultural thread helped to build a nation called India. 200 years before India’s independence, Italy wanted to stand up as a nation. It had to unite the divided countries by proposing a single nationality, a country for Italians. Who does? How would monarchies agree? Like the principalities in India, Italy was divided into small states. Italians were never united by power struggles.
Piedmont, Sardinia, Modena, Parma, Tuscany, Venetia, Lombardy, Naples, Rome, Sicily were scattered in various regions. All these were used by the European powers like France and Austria for their benefit. To be known as Italian; Privacy should be preserved. We need a strong single government to stand up to whoever comes. Kings must come forward for it; Ministers and officials should plan; From the social personalities to the common people, it should be implemented with a single purpose. The national pride of one country, one Italy overflowed among the youth. Attempts at unification began with the initiative of Italian youth.
All such attempts, being military revolutions, were successfully thwarted. The kings of the respective countries got the military help of Austria, which was a superpower, and suppressed the revolutionaries. Later, a similar military revolution took place in India as well. The incident, known as the Sepoy Mutiny, was successfully suppressed by the British. Mere riots cannot create or build a nation. From Italy to India, many examples can be found where the victory of revolution does not last long. For Mazzini, who led a revolutionary movement that mobilized Italian youth, defeats followed.
However, he did not give up. He prepared young people with a sense of commitment. He imparted not only military training but also training to spread the need for single nationhood among the people. National sentiment arose among the lay people. Mazzini’s Italian Youth Party was responsible for that. More than sixty thousand young men worked for a united Italy and its lost glory. All the youngsters were in love with history. They even changed their names. A thousand years ago, old names that were in circulation in Italy were searched for and used. Acting as a mantra of faith in God, patriotism, and service to the people, Majini’s army won the trust of the common man through a series of campaigns. The public started protesting for a new political system and reforms. Revolutions can be suppressed; People’s struggle cannot be stopped.
The rulers of the fragmented states were not ready to give up the monarchy. But only Victor Emanuele, who ruled the Piedmont region, realized the justice in the people’s demand. The armies of the Maghini and the armies of the kings joined the Italian national movement. It is a miracle and a miracle in the history of the world that the forces of the monarchy and the army of the revolutionaries who opposed the monarchy are working hand in hand. Under the leadership of Victor Emmanuel who abdicated the monarchy and handed over the country to the people, the people were ready to continue the liberation movement and do anything for it. Kings who trusted the people were never abandoned. It was also decided that if a united Italy was formed, he would become its king.
The Piedmont region is ready. Other countries? Cavour, the chief minister of Piedmont, knew that he could not keep a small force and lead others on the way. He also knew that no superpower would accept the national sentiment of the Italian people. Kaur embarked on diplomatic activities. Cavour’s diplomatic efforts marked a turning point for the Italian national movement. Against Russia, Cavour sent armies of European nations. He took advantage of France’s readiness to respond. He thought that his Italian dream would come true if the French and Austrian armies clashed. French and Austrian forces clashed.
Garibaldi, the general of Piedmont, on one side, and Cavour, the chief minister, on the other. Both were loyal to Victor Emmanuel. Together, they started revolutionary movements in other countries, seeded the Italian dream, and challenged the monarchy. After a decade of struggle, a unified Italy was created. In the end, Italy won the battle with France over who owned Rome. The slogan “Italy belongs to Italy” rang through the streets of Europe. Due to the contribution of all parties such as king, general, minister and common people, the nation called Italy was formed. In the next 30 years, the rise of nationalities all over the world started. It reached its peak through successive world wars. The British also understood that India, which was culturally unified, had no choice but to grant full independence.
The nation of India was re-created in world history without knife and without blood. If we lose our culture and individuality and are in the grip of the superpowers, we will turn into dice. A recent example is Taiwan. Taiwan has become a place where the US Navy and the Chinese Navy can display their armed forces. Such a situation should never happen to India. Let’s protect the culture; Let’s keep it unique! Without understanding the true meaning of the term ‘non-religious’ or acting accordingly, we will lose our footing, become addicted to the words of our enemies, oppose the local governments, and defend the country without speaking autonomously!
– J. Ramki
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