Exile and Young Italy
Born in Genoa on 22 June 1805, Mazzini earned a law degree in 1827, joined the Carbonari and wrote for newspapers. Arrested in 1830 and imprisoned at Savona, he chose exile after release and left the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1831. In Marseille he founded Young Italy.
Its program connected independence and unity with republican government. Education and insurrection were complementary means: members circulated writing and supported printing, while exiles could advocate publicly abroad. Preparations inside Italy remained clandestine. Popular participation distinguished this project from reliance on agreements among rulers.
Publishing and education in London
After failed revolutionary plans and periods in Switzerland, Mazzini reached London in 1837. He supported himself partly through British journalism, reorganized Young Italy in 1840, and launched Apostolato popolare. In 1841 he founded a free school for poor children.
The membership oath connected speech, writing and action with collective obligation. His Doveri dell’uomo, published at Lugano in 1860, brought together moral, political and social concerns. Newspapers, education and migrant networks gave his activity durable forms beyond individual conspiracies.
Republicanism before and after unification
The Roman Republic was proclaimed in February 1849. Mazzini arrived in March and became a triumvir on 29 March. With French forces overwhelming its defense, he and the other triumvirs resigned at the end of June; exile followed.
The Kingdom of Italy established in 1861 achieved national union under a monarchy, leaving his republican objective unmet. Mazzini continued political organizing and contact with workers’ associations. Arrested again while traveling to Sicily in 1870, he was released under an amnesty. He died in Pisa on 10 March 1872.