Study this source. Source A (your primary source for this question) 'My meeting with Emperor Napoleon III at Plombieres has secured the alliance that Piedmo...

Source analysis

Source A is a letter written by Count Cavour to King Victor Emmanuel II in July 1858, describing the agreement made with Napoleon III at Plombieres. It reveals Cavour's diplomatic strategy: securing a French alliance against Austria, requiring Austria to appear as the aggressor, and offering Nice and Savoy in return. The source shows Cavour's realistic assessment that Piedmont lacked the military strength to act alone ('the military strength we lack on our own'). As a private letter from Cavour himself to his king, it is likely candid about Piedmontese weakness, but it naturally presents Cavour's own role in the best possible light.

Contextual knowledge

The Plombieres agreement did lead to the Franco-Austrian War of 1859, which resulted in Piedmont gaining Lombardy. This confirms the source's value in showing Cavour's diplomatic skill. However, Cavour lost control of events when Garibaldi launched the Expedition of the Thousand (1860), conquering Sicily and Naples without Cavour's initial approval. The source does not mention Garibaldi, whose military campaigns in southern Italy were crucial, or Mazzini, whose nationalist ideology inspired the movement. Venetia was only gained in 1866 through alliance with Prussia, and Rome was not acquired until 1870. Cavour himself died in 1861, before unification was complete, so the source cannot tell us about the final stages.

Mark scheme (Levels of Response) [8 marks]

• Level 1 [1-3 marks]: Simple statements about usefulness. For example, 'The source is useful because it shows Cavour made an alliance with France.' No real evaluation of content or limitations.
• Level 2 [4-6 marks]: Evaluates the content of the source (what it tells us about Cavour's diplomacy) OR its limitations (bias, missing perspectives). Shows understanding of either what the source reveals about Cavour's role or why it gives an incomplete picture, but does not do both fully.
• Level 3 [7-8 marks]: Evaluates BOTH the source's usefulness (specific content about Cavour's realpolitik, the Plombieres terms, his understanding of Piedmontese limitations) AND its limitations (written by Cavour so self-serving, omits Garibaldi and Mazzini, covers only diplomacy not the military campaigns or later stages of unification). Uses own knowledge to assess what the source includes and what it leaves out.

Exam reminder: 'How useful' questions require you to evaluate both what the source shows (content and provenance) and what it does not show (limitations). Never conclude a source is simply 'useful' or 'not useful' without explaining both sides.