<P> Morale was of course badly weakened, but the dream of Risorgimento did not die . Instead, the Italian patriots learned some lessons that made them much more effective at the next opportunity in 1860 . Military weakness was glaring, as the small Italian states were completely outmatched by France and Austria . France was a potential ally, and the patriots realized they had to focus all their attention on expelling Austria first, with a willingness to give the French whatever they wanted in return for essential military intervention . The French in fact received Savoy and Nice in 1860 . Secondly, the patriots realized that the Pope was an enemy, and could never be the leader of a united Italy . Third they realized that republicanism was too weak a force . Unification had to be based on a strong monarchy, and in practice that meant reliance on Piedmont (the Kingdom of Sardinia) under King Victor Emmanuel II (1820 - 1878) of the House of Savoy . Count Cavour (1810--1861) provided critical leadership . He was a modernizer interested in agrarian improvements, banks, railways and free trade . He opened a newspaper as soon as censorship allowed it: Il Risorgimento called for the independence of Italy, a league of Italian princes, and moderate reforms . He had the ear of the king and in 1852 became prime minister . He ran an efficient active government, promoting rapid economic modernization while upgrading the administration of the army and the financial and legal systems . He sought out support from patriots across Italy . In 1855, the kingdom became an ally of Britain and France in the Crimean war, which gave Cavour's diplomacy legitimacy in the eyes of the great powers . </P> <P> In 1857, Carlo Pisacane, an aristocrat from Naples who had embraced Mazzini's ideas, decided to provoke a rising in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies . His small force landed on the island of Ponza . It overpowered guards and liberated hundreds of prisoners . In sharp contrast to his hypothetical expectations, there was no local uprising and the invaders were quickly overpowered . Pisacane was killed by angry locals who suspected he was leading a gypsy band trying to steal their food . </P> <P> The 2nd War of Italian Independence began in April 1859 when the Sardinian Prime Minister Count Cavour found an ally in Napoleon III . Napoleon III signed a secret alliance and Cavour provoked Austria with military maneuvers and eventually created the war in April 1859 . Cavour called for volunteers to enlist in the Italian liberation . The Austrians planned to use their army to beat the Sardinians before the French could come to their aid . Austria had an army of 140,000 men, while the Sardinians had a mere 70,000 . This proved less important than it first appeared, however, as Emperor Franz Josef had chosen his officers based on their aristocratic titles and lineage instead of their personal merit . This strategy was no doubt socially acceptable, but the emperor soon discovered blue blood was a remarkably poor guarantor of military victory . Instead of swiftly entering the capital of Sardinia, the Austrian army crawled, taking almost ten days to travel the 80 kilometres (50 mi). By this time, the French had reinforced the Sardinians, so the Austrians retreated . Napoleon III's plans worked and at the battle of Solferino, France defeated Austria and forced negotiations . The settlement, by which Lombardy was annexed to Sardinia, left Austria in control of Venice . Sardinia eventually won the Second War of Italian Unification due to statesmanship instead of armies or popular election . The final arrangement was ironed out by "back - room" deals instead of in the battlefield . This was because neither France, Austria, nor Sardinia wanted to risk another battle and could not handle further fighting . All of the sides were eventually unhappy with the final outcome of the 2nd War of Italian Unification and expected another conflict in the future . </P> <P> Thus, by early 1860, only five states remained in Italy--the Austrians in Venetia, the Papal States (now minus the Legations), the new expanded Kingdom of Piedmont - Sardinia, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and San Marino . </P>

Who was the prime minister of piedmont who organized the italian unification movement