Why did Cavour prefer diplomacy and international alliances over revolutionary uprisings?

Camillo Benso, count di Cavour, prioritized diplomacy and international alliances over revolutionary uprisings because he believed that the unification of Italy required the backing of a regular army and the organized power of a state, rather than the isolated, often utopian conspiracies of radicals like Giuseppe Mazzini.1

Cavour’s preference for the "golden mean" was rooted in his rejection of extremes: he was repelled by revolutionaries who sought to destroy society through terror, as well as by reactionaries who provoked instability by resisting all progress. He concluded that failed uprisings, such as those in Sicily and Naples, demonstrated that the era of republican conspiracies had passed.21

Instead, Cavour pursued a strategy of modernization and secularization in Piedmont to demonstrate that the state was a stable, liberal power capable of being a credible international partner. By forming economic and political alliances with great powers like France and England, he sought to isolate Austria diplomatically and militarily. He viewed foreign support as indispensable, ultimately leveraging these alliances to secure the necessary military strength to challenge Austrian domination and advance the cause of Italian unification on the European stage.31