Why did Giuseppe Mazzini want Italy to become a united republic?

Giuseppe Mazzini advocated for a united, republican Italy based on his belief in the moral and spiritual equality of all people. Through his movement, Young Italy, he argued that a republic was the only form of government capable of ensuring that all citizens could be "free and equal brothers" under the law of God and humanity.1

Mazzini’s commitment to a unitary state was equally fundamental to his vision. He maintained that "without unity there is not truly a nation, since without unity there is no strength," viewing a centralized, unified nation as essential for Italy’s independence and political vitality. Unlike other movements that relied on foreign support or compromise with absolute monarchs, Mazzini believed that the Italian people themselves must be educated in their political role to achieve this national transformation.12

Though he was an uncompromising republican who refused to participate in the monarchy established after Italy's unification in 1861, his persistent advocacy and revolutionary efforts are now recognized as an indispensable contribution to the Risorgimento and the creation of modern Italy.34