Carlo Cattaneo

Italian politician, historian, and economist, born in Milan, N Lombardy, Italy. In 1824 he graduated in law and contributed to a number of publications, founding the scientific review Politecnico in 1839. He participated in the Five Days of Milan insurrection, and escaped abroad when the Austrians returned. He later became a deputy in the Italian parliament, although he was in favour of a federalistic solution. His cultural interests were wide and he wrote on a number of subjects.

Carlo Cattaneo (Milan, June 15, 1801 – February 6, 1869) was an Italian philosopher and patriot.

Cattaneo was born in Castagnola.

When the revolution of 1848 broke out he threw himself heart and soul into the fray, and became one of the leading spirits of the insurrection against the Austrians, known as the Five Days of Milan (March 18–March 22, 1848). When on March 18 Field Marshal Radetzky, feeling that the position of the Austrian garrison was untenable, sounded the rebels as to their terms, some of the leaders were inclined to agree to an armistice which would give time for the Piedmontese troops to arrive (Piedmont had just declared war), but Cattaneo insisted on the complete evacuation of Lombardy. But, Cattaneo replied:

The enemy having furnished us with munitions thus far, will continue to furnish them.

On the expulsion of the Austrians the question arose as to the future government of Milan and Italy.

Cattaneo was an uncompromising republican and a federalist; so violent was his dislike of the Piedmontese monarchy that when he heard that King Charles Albert had been defeated by the Austrians, and that Radetzky was marching back to reoccupy Milan, he exclaimed:

Good news, the Piedmontese have been beaten.

When the Austrians returned Cattaneo had to flee, and took refuge at Lugano, where he gave lessons, wrote his Storia della Rivoluzione del 1848, the Archivio triennale delle cose d Italia (3 vols., 1850–1855), and then early in 1860 he started the Politecnico once more. In 1860 Garibaldi summoned him to Naples to take part in the government of the Neapolitan provinces, but he would not agree to the union with Piedmont without local autonomy. After the union of Italy he was frequently asked to stand for parliament, but always refused because he could not conscientiously take the oath of allegiance to the monarchy. In 1868 the pressure of friends overcame his resistance, and he agreed to stand, but at the last moment he drew hack, still unable to take the oath, and returned to Lugano, where he died in 1869. As a writer Cattaneo was learned and brilliant, but far too bitter a partisan to be judicious, owing to his narrowly republican views;