Why did Giuseppe Mazzini believe education was important to Italian unification?

Giuseppe Mazzini believed that education was essential to Italian unification because he viewed the Risorgimento—the struggle for Italian unity—as a movement that required a profound moral and spiritual revival of the Italian people.1

Unlike previous secret societies, such as the Carbonari, which relied on clandestine methods and foreign support, Mazzini’s movement, Young Italy, was designed to have a popular character. He believed that only a popular initiative could successfully free Italy, and therefore, the people needed to be educated in their political roles to participate in the creation of a free, independent, and unitary republic.12

To achieve this, Mazzini utilized education as a primary method alongside insurrection. He propagated his ideas through the journal Giovine Italia, which aimed to build national consciousness among Italians. By fostering this awareness, he sought to transform the populace into active participants in the fight for liberty, grounded in his belief in the duties of man and the necessity of a unified nation to achieve true strength.213