Page 153 - Il Risorgimento e l'Europa - Attori e protagonisti dell’Unità d’Italia nel 150° anniversario - Atti 9-10 novembre 2010

AustriA And the unificAtion of itAly 153

only 121 rifled guns, whereas the Italian ironclads had 276 rifled guns as their
main and most effective armament.
The loss of the province of Venetia after the war against Prussia and Italy
th
was the last step in the Italian Unification in the second half of the 19 cen-
tury. The constitutional reforms of 1867 were a big step forward for the
Habsburg monarchy but it was impossible to solve the nationalistic “high
voltage” situation at the end of the century.
At the end it seems necessary for me to make there is a personal remark:
In September 2010 I had the opportunity to visit the “Festungsviereck”, il
Quadrolaterale and the battlefields of Solferino, San Martino and Custozza
with Austrain officers from the class of 1969 of the Theresian Military
Academy at Wiener Neustadt.
The civil-military ceremonies with the participation of Italian authorities
proved to be deeply moving and reminded me on the words of Henri Dunant,
caring for the wounded of all sides after the battle of Solferino: “Tutti fratel-
li”.
It should take nearly a century after 1848/49 to come slowly to a termina-
tion of the “European Civil Wars”, which tore Europe apart since the middle
ages and to rediscover the common roots of the Central European culture.
These roots can be easily observed by everyone who will try to find them
out in culturally intended journeys.
In studying history and to exchange knowledge and cultural understanding
- for instance in international research projects and symposiums, which are
excellent opportunities like this “convengno nazionale” in the autumn of
2010 – it is a perfect example to lead this dialogue.
It is also an honourable reminder of the sacrifices and sufferings of our
predecessors of earlier generations.