World History II SOL Practice Test 2026 - Free Standards of Learning Practice Questions and Study Guide

Italian unification, or the Risorgimento, is the concept being tested. After earlier revolutions failed, nationalist leaders sought to unite the many Italian states under a single government. Piedmont-Sardinia became the driving force, using modernization, diplomacy, and strategic wars to reduce Austrian influence in the north and win over other states. Camillo di Cavour steered this effort through careful alliances and conflict, while Garibaldi’s southern campaign brought the kingdom of the Two Sicilies into the fold. By 1861 the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed under Victor Emmanuel II, with Rome joining a few years later, completing the unification. This process is distinct from German, Ottoman, or French unification, which happened in different regions and times.