How did Camillo Benso, count di Cavour’s views differ from those of revolutionaries and reactionaries?

Camillo Benso, count di Cavour, consistently positioned himself in the "golden mean" of politics, rejecting the extremes of both revolutionaries and reactionaries.1

• Against Revolutionaries: Cavour was repelled by revolutionaries who sought to destroy society through terror, believing their methods defiled human dignity. While he eventually recognized that some of their nationalist goals were not as utopian as he once thought, he actively opposed the isolated, republican conspiracies led by figures like Giuseppe Mazzini. He viewed independence as requiring diplomatic action and a regular army rather than revolutionary upheaval. When necessary, he acted as a defender of law and order against revolutionary excesses to maintain stability.123
• Against Reactionaries: Cavour opposed reactionaries who represented the landed interests, the aristocracy, and the clergy, as their blind opposition to progress often provoked the very uprisings they feared. He fought against paternalistic absolutism and the traditional "union of throne and altar," advocating instead for modernization, secularization, and free trade to transform the state.142

By rejecting these extremes, Cavour sought to lead Piedmont through a path of liberal, constitutional reform.1