Editing Nice (section)

===French annexation===
[[File:County of nice.svg|thumb|upright|A map of the [[County of Nice]] showing the area of the [[Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861)|Italian kingdom of Sardinia]] annexed in 1860 to France (light brown). The area in red had already become part of France before 1860.]]
[[File:Les manifestations pro-italiennes à Nice du 1871.jpg|thumb|upright|Pro-Italian protests in Nice, 1871, during the [[Niçard Vespers]], a popular uprising in support of the union of the [[County of Nice]] with the [[Kingdom of Italy]]]]

After the [[Treaty of Turin (1860)|Treaty of Turin]] was signed in 1860 between the [[Victor Emmanuel II of Italy|Sardinian king]] and [[Napoleon III]] as a consequence of the [[Plombières Agreement]], the county was again and definitively ceded to France as a territorial reward for French assistance in the [[Second Italian War of Independence]] against [[Austrian Empire|Austria]], which saw [[Lombardy]] united with [[Piedmont-Sardinia]].  King Victor-Emmanuel II, on 1 April 1860, solemnly asked the population to accept the change of sovereignty, in the name of Italian unity, and the cession was ratified by a regional [[referendum]]. Italophile manifestations and the acclamation of an "Italian Nice" by the crowd are reported on this occasion.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ruggiero |first=Alain |title=Nouvelle Histoire de Nice |year=2006 |language=fr}}</ref> A plebiscite was voted on 15 and 16 April 1860. The opponents of annexation called for abstention, hence the very high abstention rate. The "yes" vote won 83% of registered voters throughout the county of Nice and 86% in Nice, partly thanks to pressure from the authorities.<ref name=":0" /> This is the result of a masterful operation of information control by the French and Piedmontese governments, in order to influence the outcome of the vote in relation to the decisions already taken.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kendall Adams |first=Charles |date=1873 |title=Universal Suffrage under Napoleon III |journal=The North American Review |volume=0117 |pages=360–370}}</ref> The irregularities in the plebiscite voting operations were evident. The case of Levens is emblematic: the same official sources recorded, faced with only 407 voters, 481 votes cast, naturally almost all in favor of joining France.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dotto De' Dauli |first=Carlo |title=Nizza, o Il confine d'Italia ad Occidente |year=1873 |language=it}}</ref>

The Italian language, which was the official language of the County, used by the Church, at the town hall, taught in schools, used in theaters and at the Opera, was immediately abolished and replaced by French.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Large |first=Didier |date=1996 |title=La situation linguistique dans le comté de Nice avant le rattachement à la France |journal=Recherches régionales Côte d'Azur et contrées limitrophes}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Paul Gubbins and Mike Holt |title=Beyond Boundaries: Language and Identity in Contemporary Europe |year=2002 |pages=91–100 |language=En}}</ref> Discontent over annexation to France led to the emigration of a large part of the Italophile population, also accelerated by Italian unification after 1861. A quarter of the population of Nice, around 11,000 people from Nice, decided to voluntarily exile to Italy.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Peirone |first=Fulvio |title=Per Torino da Nizza e Savoia. Le opzioni del 1860 per la cittadinanza torinese, da un fondo dell'archivio storico della città di Torino |year=2011 |location=Turin |language=it}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=28 August 2017 |title="Un nizzardo su quattro prese la via dell'esilio" in seguito all'unità d'Italia, dice lo scrittore Casalino Pierluigi |url=https://www.montecarlonews.it/2017/08/28/notizie/argomenti/altre-notizie-1/articolo/un-nizzardo-su-quattro-prese-la-via-dellesilio-in-seguito-allunita-ditalia-dice-lo-scrittore.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200219165302/http://www.montecarlonews.it/2017/08/28/notizie/argomenti/altre-notizie-1/articolo/un-nizzardo-su-quattro-prese-la-via-dellesilio-in-seguito-allunita-ditalia-dice-lo-scrittore.html |archive-date=19 February 2020 |access-date=14 May 2021 |language=it}}</ref> The emigration of a quarter of the [[Niçard Italians]] to Italy took the name of [[Niçard exodus]]. Many Italians from Nizza then moved to the Ligurian towns of [[Ventimiglia]], [[Bordighera]] and [[Ospedaletti]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nizza e il suo futuro |url=http://www.liberanissa.eu/archives/nizza_e_il_suo_futuro/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190203025523/http://www.liberanissa.eu/archives/nizza_e_il_suo_futuro/index.html |archive-date=3 February 2019 |access-date=26 December 2018 |publisher=Liberà Nissa |language=it}}</ref> giving rise to a local branch of the movement of the [[Italia irredenta|Italian irredentists]] which considered the re-acquisition of Nice to be one of their nationalist goals. [[Giuseppe Garibaldi]], born in Nice, strongly opposed the cession to France, arguing that the ballot was rigged by the French. Furthermore, for the niçard general his hometown was unquestionably Italian. Politically, the liberals of Nice and the partisans of Garibaldi also appreciated very little Napoleonic authoritarianism. Elements on the right (aristocrats) as on the left (Garibaldians) therefore wanted Nice to return to Italy. Savoy was also transferred to the French crown by similar means.

In 1871, during the first free elections in the County, the pro-Italian lists obtained almost all the votes in the legislative elections (26,534 votes out of 29,428 votes cast), and Garibaldi was elected deputy at the [[National Assembly (France)|National Assembly]]. Pro-Italians took to the streets cheering ''"Viva Nizza! Viva Garibaldi!".'' The French government sent 10,000 soldiers to Nice, closed the Italian newspaper ''Il Diritto di Nizza'' and imprisoned several demonstrators. The population of Nice rose up from 8 to 10 February and the three days of demonstration took the name of "[[Niçard Vespers]]". The revolt was suppressed by French troops. On 13 February, Garibaldi was not allowed to speak at the French parliament meeting in Bordeaux to ask for the reunification of Nice to the [[Kingdom of Italy|newborn Italian unitary state]], and he resigned from his post as deputy.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Courrière |first=Henri |date=2007 |title=Les troubles de février 1871 à Nice |journal=Cahiers de la Méditerranée|issue=74 |pages=179–208 |doi=10.4000/cdlm.2693 |url=https://journals.openedition.org/cdlm/2693 }}</ref> The failure of Vespers led to the expulsion of the last pro-Italian intellectuals from Nice, such as Luciano Mereu or Giuseppe Bres, who were expelled or deported.

The pro-Italian irredentist movement persisted throughout the period 1860–1914, despite the repression carried out since the annexation. The French government implemented a policy of [[Francization]] of society, language and culture.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Paul Gubbins and Mine Holt |title=Beyond Boundaries: Language and Identity in Contemporary Europe |year=2002 |pages=91–100}}</ref> The toponyms of the communes of the ancient County were francized, with the obligation to use French in Nice,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aiig.altervista.org/Nizzardo/IL%20NIZZARDO%20NEI%20SUOI%20ASPETTI%20GEOGRAFICI.pdf|title=Il Nizzardo|access-date=17 May 2021|language=it}}</ref> as well as certain surnames (for example the Italian surname "Bianchi" was francized into "Leblanc", and the Italian surname "Del Ponte" was francized into "Dupont").<ref name="limesonline">{{cite web|url=https://www.limesonline.com/unitalia-sconfinata/2845|title=Un'Italia sconfinata|date=20 February 2009 |access-date=17 May 2021|language=it}}</ref>

Italian-language newspapers in Nice were banned. In 1861, ''La Voce di Nizza'' was closed (temporarily reopened during the Niçard Vespers), followed by ''Il Diritto di Nizza'', closed in 1871.<ref name=":1" /> In 1895 it was the turn of ''Il Pensiero di Nizza'', accused of irredentism. Many journalists and writers from Nice wrote in these newspapers in Italian. Among these are Enrico Sappia, Giuseppe André, Giuseppe Bres, Eugenio Cais di Pierlas and others.

During the [[repression of January and February 1894]], the police conducted raids targeting the Italian [[Anarchism|anarchists]] living there, without much success.<ref name=":12">{{Cite news |date=3 January 1894 |title=Les anarchistes |trans-title=The anarchists |work=La Dépêche |pages=2}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |date=2 January 1894 |title=Deux mille perquisitions |journal=L'Estafette |pages=2}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |date=3 January 1894 |title=Une série générale de perquisitions : résultat négatif des recherches |trans-title=A general series of raids: negative results |work=L'Éclair}}</ref>