Das Banat und das Risorgimento: der Sardinische Krieg 1859 und seine Auswirkungen im Banat / Banat and Risorgimento: Second Italian War of Independence and its Influence in Banat

Based on the archival holdings of Archive of Vojvodina (F. 23 Landesverwaltung der Wojwodschaft Serbien und des Temesvarer Banat 1849–1861), as well as on the writing of contemporary press (Wiener Zeitung, Temesvarer Zeitung, Gross-Becskereker Wochenblatt, Werschetzer Gebirgsbote, Lugoser Anzeiger), the paper discusses ways and means in which the region of Banat was influenced by the Second Italian War of Independence of 1859. Following important issues have been addressed: gradual preparation of domicile population for the war by the government run press; mobilization and usage of financial, material and human resources of Banat; war participation of Banat based regiments, as well as formation of voluntary battalions; war losses and decorations; and last but not the least – an utmost interesting question of the attitude of Banatians towards the war. For little less than a decade they have been subjected to rather unpopular and much hated neo-absolutistic policy of the Bach’s regime, that in war times demanded an unconditional allegiance and self-sacrifice. On the other hand, regardless of their nationality, they looked with sympathies at the enemy’s freedom and independence struggle. In practice, such attitude led to an enormous, although publicly hardly visible dissatisfaction with the war, in quite opposition to the patriotic image imposed and carefully nurtured by the press. Beside to formation of Italy in 1861, the unfavorable outcome of the war for Austria subsequently led to inner instability and dissolution of the Crown Province Voivodeship Serbia and Banat of Temesvar in same year. Ethnically mixed population almost unanimously greeted such turn of events.