AH Challenge: Go Italy!

With a POD of after Napoleon. Create a scenario where Italy:

1) Has an industrialised North AND South. With a strong economy and a large population.
2) Where the rule of law is more or less common place (ie No Mafia or not nearly as important).
3) With a functioning democracy which is in touch with the people.
4) Where foreign policy is about allying with the Germans against the French and Austro-Hungarians.
5) With a strong and modern (for the time) military.
6) Where the only colony is "Italian North Africa" composed of Tunisia and Northern Lybia, which is well developed and settled.

All before a WWI analogue in the early 20th century.

The idea is to make an Italy which has: overcome most of its downsides on the home front, concentrated on one profit producing colony instead of wasting money, and is ready and raring to go for a nice European (and maybe North African) expansion at this expense of its too hated enemies.

If you can think of any other improvements for Italy, add them for bonus points. Oh, and it must be a Kingdom. In this timeline Italians in the USA would be FAR fewer in number.

Good Luck!

Kvasir.
 
The focus on Risorgimento comes from the south, the Kingdom of Naples, rather than from Piedmont-Sardinia. I dunno, the KoN goes under some rigourous constitutional change, so its a Parliamentary democracy.
Joachim Murat managing to hang onto the Neopolitan throne is the POD that I think would best suit this.

Piedmont succumbs to French overt influence, perhaps getting annexed by a greedy Napoleon III in his fight with Austria. This huge fight raises Risorgimento feelings in the north, who see uniting with the only really big and willing Italian state as paramount.
Napoleon III in this scenario still arises, but I don't think he would annex Piedmont-Sardinia. Instead, how about an alliance between Nappy III's France and Murat's Naples, with the clear intention being Italian unification?

Murat manages to hang on to the Neopolitan throne. This is rather implausible, but if he says the right things and maybe raises an army to fight Napoleon, he could stay. The Carbonari-led rebellion in 1821 leads to him accepting a constitutional monarchy, and when the Holy League decided that this was unacceptable Murat made it clear that he would fight any invading army. This stand for the constitutional order that had been forced on him redeemed Murat in the eyes of many Italian nationalists. His institution of a draft in 1823 was initially supported by Italian nationalists in the Kingdom, though his induction of many of their followers made it clear what his intentions were.

His son Achille Murat, becomes the next King of the Two Sicilies, as King Achille I. Achille is an intelligent business manager and directs royal resources towards modernization (railroads, city improvements). This includes attempts at secular public education, a clear challenge to the Church's power. His struggle with the Church for public education wins him support among Italian nationalists who hail mainly from northern Italian cities.

In 1832, after watching French moves to expand into Algeria, Achille decides to act, and invades Tripoli, which is in the midst of a civil war. The Neopolitan backed candidate wins the civil war, but is deposed in 1836, leading to Neopolitan annexation. Establishing control of the hinterlands is difficult, something that will take decades to fully do. Once Tripoli is under Neopolitan control King Achille begins a program of settlement, hoping to encourage peasants to emigrate to Tripoli. Large land offers and government support are offered, and the settlement program is a modest success. The news of victories of "Italian" troops leads to celebrations in northern Italian cities.

Achille dies in 1847, the year before the violent Revolution of 1848 are set to occur. His brother (King Charles) manages to ride out the violent Revolutions of 1848 successfully, with the constitutional reforms of 1821 still in effect. Many cities in the Papal States revolt against the Pope, inviting Naples to annex them. The annexations, though protested, are not militarily opposed, and Naples comes out of the Revolutions of 1848 as the only Italian state to have actually moved any borders.

This success attracts the attention of his cousin, Napoleon III, the recently crowned Emperor of the French. Napoleon sees Charles as the Italian leader who can bring about Italian unification, and his Bonaparte heritage is a massive boost.

The Second Italian War of Independence is fought as a French-Neopolitan alliance against Austria. Neopolitan instigated revolutions in the central Italian states led to a Neopolitan invasion, which provoked an Austrian declaration of war, and French involvement in the war. The French beat the Austrians repeatedly, leading to a treaty that brings about Neopolitan annexation of the central Italian states and Lombardy.
 
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Joachim Murat managing to hang onto the Neopolitan throne is the POD that I think would best suit this.

Napoleon III in this scenario still arises, but I don't think he would annex Piedmont-Sardinia. Instead, how about an alliance between Nappy III's France and Murat's Naples, with the clear intention being Italian unification?

Murat manages to hang on to the Neopolitan throne. This is rather implausible, but if he says the right things and maybe raises an army to fight Napoleon, he could stay. The Carbonari-led rebellion in 1821 leads to him accepting a constitutional monarchy, and when the Holy League decided that this was unacceptable Murat made it clear that he would fight any invading army. This stand for the constitutional order that had been forced on him redeemed Murat in the eyes of many Italian nationalists. His institution of a draft in 1823 was initially supported by Italian nationalists in the Kingdom, though his induction of many of their followers made it clear what his intentions were.

His son Achille Murat, becomes the next King of the Two Sicilies, as King Achille I. Achille is an intelligent business manager and directs royal resources towards modernization (railroads, city improvements). This includes attempts at secular public education, a clear challenge to the Church's power. His struggle with the Church for public education wins him support among Italian nationalists who hail mainly from northern Italian cities.

In 1832, after watching French moves to expand into Algeria, Achille decides to act, and invades Tripoli, which is in the midst of a civil war. The Neopolitan backed candidate wins the civil war, but is deposed in 1836, leading to Neopolitan annexation. Establishing control of the hinterlands is difficult, something that will take decades to fully do. Once Tripoli is under Neopolitan control King Achille begins a program of settlement, hoping to encourage peasants to emigrate to Tripoli. Large land offers and government support are offered, and the settlement program is a modest success. The news of victories of "Italian" troops leads to celebrations in northern Italian cities.

Achille dies in 1847, the year before the violent Revolution of 1848 are set to occur. His brother (King Charles) manages to ride out the violent Revolutions of 1848 successfully, with the constitutional reforms of 1821 still in effect. Many cities in the Papal States revolt against the Pope, inviting Naples to annex them. The annexations, though protested, are not militarily opposed, and Naples comes out of the Revolutions of 1848 as the only Italian state to have actually moved any borders.

This success attracts the attention of his cousin, Napoleon III, the recently crowned Emperor of the French. Napoleon sees Charles as the Italian leader who can bring about Italian unification, and his Bonaparte heritage is a massive boost.

The Second Italian War of Independence is fought as a French-Neopolitan alliance against Austria. Neopolitan instigated revolutions in the central Italian states led to a Neopolitan invasion, which provoked an Austrian declaration of war, and French involvement in the war. The French beat the Austrians repeatedly, leading to a treaty that brings about Neopolitan annexation of the central Italian states and Lombardy.

Hmm, this is a workable plan. :) So, first we need to think of a way for Murat to keep his thrown. We need to find a reason for the Congress of Vienna to allow it to happen, and then come up with compensation for Ferdinand (the original King). In the OTL Ferdinand remained in control of Sicily during the war with English protection and the English forced reform of the feudal system but any constitutional progression was blocked by Austria (and this continued after the wars in Naples too). If the CoV allow Murat to hold Naples how would the Sicily make it back into the Italian fold?
 
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Hmm, this is a workable plan. :) So, first we need to think of a way for Murat to keep his thrown. We need to find a reason for the Congress of Vienna to allow it to happen, and then come up with compensation for Ferdinand (the original King). In the OTL Ferdinand remained in control of Sicily during the war with English protection and the English forced reform of the feudal system but any constitutional progression was blocked by Austria (and this continued after the wars in Naples too). If the CoV allow Murat to hold Naples how would the Sicily make it back into the Italian fold?

This is the interesting question. And it leads to the larger question of what to do with Ferdinand. I don't think that while Francis and Ferdinand are alive Murat will be allowed to maintain his rule in Naples. Maybe during the course of the Revolutionalry and Napoleonic Wars Ferdinand and Francis are snatched by French agents, and die in French prisons?

The British occupy Sicily for the duration of the conflict.

Murat still goes over to the Allies as he did in OTL, and the British simply give Sicily back to Naples at the CoV, with promises to maintain the Sicilian constitution, which he does, using the Sicilian constitution as the united Kingdom of the Two Sicilies new constitution.
 
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