Conclusion

In conclusion, we will discuss the impact of the French model in Italy. It was an importation of military institutions and a process of acculturation, designed to work over time, which it suffered from lack of, and from the perennial state of emergency. This thwarted the introduction of meritocracy in Italy. Yet, in the course of less than twenty years, the French model left its indelible mark on a nation which was entering its Risorgimento. On the military side, though the officers and institutions were subordinate to the French, they accumulated fighting experience. Many younger officers from the Modena school participated in the uprisings and wars of the Risorgimento. And although the institutions were suppressed at the Restoration, with the partial exception of the War Depot, the influence of the French War Depot and the Modena school was a far-reaching legacy.