Echoes of the Parisian Revolution of 1848 in the Italian press

This contribution is based primarily on an analysis of the "chronicles from abroad" of some of the many periodicals which were in circulation in the pre-unity States of Italy in 1848, and which carried reports of the riots that erupted in Paris in February of that year. The author sets out to provide an overview of those riots, highlighting the coverage in Italian newspapers, which, by 1848, had grown exponentially thanks to the concessions on press freedom throughout the country. In most cases, the editorial staff of the Italian newspapers associated news of the revolution in France with the high-priority issue of liberal reforms and the question of the outcome of the Italian national movement. But the articles in the newspapers illustrate above all the fragility of a deeply divided and immature society in comparison with the more advanced French situation. The Italian periodicals sought in vain to channel the ongoing popular frenzy, which instead should have been led by the ruling classes, who were only concerned with the interests of their respective States.