Abstract
Starting from vantage points that are both English and French, Mazzini connects the concepts of nationality and democracy: individuals are citizens to the extent that they belong to a free nation. The ‘European’ scope of Mazzini's thinking emerges through the network of relationships that he develops in his London exile. The intent is to establish a democracy that equates ‘republic’ and ‘public good’. The demise of the Second Republic in France changed republican attitudes toward public institutions, creating the premises for a form of ‘radical politics’ intended to promote civil and democratic gains under non-republican forms of government. After Italy was unified in 1861, Mazzini assigned to republicans a primarily patriotic, educational and moral role, while radicals who had formerly followed Mazzini looked above all to Anglo-Saxon democracies and the merits of their practices (voluntary association, freedom of the press, role of public opinion) and of their institutions (administrative decentralization).
Published Version
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