Overview
This committee will function as a traditional crisis committee, with an emphasis on teaching foundational MUN crisis skills. The committee will function on a two-pad note system, where delegates will be given two legal notepads to write their crisis notes on, and the backroom takes one pad per cycle. Each of the two pads should be filled with notes addressed to one external contact, such as a mother, spouse, or powerful relative. The note cycle duration will vary depending on staffing and the speed of committee debate. On average, it will take 30 minutes to process one pad and collect the second. Crisis updates will take place interspersed with committee, likely coinciding with the note-collections.
Topic: The Italian Unification
For centuries, the Italian peninsula has been divided among rival kingdoms, empires, and city-states. Foreign powers control the north, the Papal States dominate the center, and the Bourbon monarchy rules the south. While Italy shares a common language, culture, and history, political unity has long remained an elusive dream. However, during the 19th century a powerful movement known as the Risorgimento began to challenge this fragmented system. Intellectuals, revolutionaries, and political leaders began calling for a unified Italian nation capable of standing alongside the great powers of Europe. Secret societies spread nationalist ideas, uprisings erupt across cities, and calls for independence grow louder with each passing year.
Revolutionaries, monarchs, diplomats, and generals now compete to shape the future of the peninsula. Some seek to establish a democratic republic based on liberal ideals, while others believe unity can only be achieved through a constitutional monarchy led by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia. Foreign powers such as Austria loom heavily over northern Italy, determined to maintain their influence and prevent nationalist revolutions from spreading. Diplomatic alliances, revolutionary uprisings, and military campaigns will all play a role in determining the outcome of this struggle. Will Italy rise as a single unified nation, or will internal rivalries and foreign intervention tear the dream apart before it can become a reality?