Gioacchino di Prati, les saint-simoniens et l’association des peuples européens

There has been a resurgence of interest in the ideas of Saint-Simon and the Saint-Simonians regarding Europe. Through a study of Gioacchino di Prati, an exile of the Italian Risorgimento, this contribution seeks to shed new light on a well-known theme. Born in the Trentino, Prati studied in Austria and Germany, before returning to Italy, where he became a carbonaro. In Milan, Prati studied with Francesco Saverio Salvi, who argued for the creation of a European confederation or republic. Forced into exile in Switzerland, Prati engaged with the ideas of the German ‘Historical School of Law’, particularly regarding national spirit, as well as those of Pestalozzi, who argued that the development of one’s own individuality was the best means to serve the interest of the commonwealth. Moving to London, Prati developed these ideas, coming to see Italians as an essentially ‘artistic’ people. Following the July Revolution, Prati went to Paris, where he became a Saint-Simonian. He contributed several articles to the Globe, in which he argued that Italy would play an important, independent role in a regenerated Europe. Prati’s arguments seem to have left a trace on Michel Chevalier’s Système de la Méditerranée