This even made Garibaldi and his friends feel somewhat ashamed. Unlike the Italian strongmen who spent their days scheming against one another and fighting for power and profit, the Austrian Empire spent more of its time solving problems rather than creating them.
In truth, they knew better than anyone what the Austrian Empire was doing, yet they were unwilling to believe any of it was real.
After all, first impressions were not so easily changed, and they were even less willing to deny the lives they had lived before.
Many people, Garibaldi included, had spent nearly the first half of their lives opposing the Austrian Empire. They believed their actions were righteous and beyond reproach.
Yet what they saw as the result was devastation as far as the eye could see, cries of misery everywhere, shattered mountains and rivers, wolves and jackals ruling the roads—while what they had opposed was a people living and working in peace and contentment, well fed and well clothed, a scene brimming with prosperity.
Though the Austrian Empire could not exactly be called peaceful, it was full of life and vitality, and its people had more hope in their lives.
The fervor of the people before them made the atmosphere even more unbearable for them. In fact, these Italians showed no resistance whatsoever to becoming Austrians, nor did they possess the slightest pride in being Italians.
Being born in the Kingdom of Sardinia and becoming citizens of the Kingdom of Sardinia was not something the people could choose. But if they had the chance, they still wanted to seek change—to live and work somewhere they believed was better and safer.
The Austrian Empire's tiger hide proved extremely useful. The people, who had been scattered like loose sand and filled with despair, were quickly drawn together.