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The Risorgimento was the 19th-century movement to unify Italy. Led by figures like Cavour, Garibaldi, and Mazzini, it ended foreign rule and created the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Rome became the capital in 1870.
The new state faced regional divides, poverty, and weak institutions. It later built a colonial empire and fought in both World Wars. Unification remains a central event in Italian identity.