South Tyrol

Tyrol cut in two

South Tyrol is the northern half of an Alpine region in Italy, around the upper valleys of the Adige and Isarco rivers. The Brenner and Resia passes lead north into Austrian Tyrol.^[1] From the 14th century it was part of the Habsburg crown land of Tyrol, where German and Ladin speakers were the large majority, while neighbouring Trentino to the south spoke Italian.^[2]

After the First World War the Treaty of St Germain in 1919 gave both to Italy, with the border at the Brenner Pass, even though one of US President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points had called for Italy’s new frontiers to follow lines of nationality.^[2]

Italianization and the Option

The German speakers were first promised autonomy, but after the Fascists took power in 1922 they faced repression in every part of life. German lessons were banned even when taught privately, Italian names were imposed on places and families, and industry brought migrants from the south.^[2]

In 1939 Hitler and Mussolini agreed the “Option”. German speakers had to choose between moving to the German Reich and giving up their homes, or staying and giving up their language and culture. A large share chose to leave, but because of the war only a small part of them actually did.^[2]

Autonomy that didn’t work, and one that did

The Paris peace treaty of 1946 kept South Tyrol in Italy. Its annex, the Gruber–De Gasperi Agreement between Austria and Italy, promised the German speakers substantial autonomy and made Austria their protecting power.^[2] Italy’s 1948 constitution set up an autonomous region, but joined South Tyrol with Trentino, where Italians were a clear majority, so the German speakers were easily outvoted.^[1][2]

In 1960 Austria took the question to the United Nations, and the General Assembly urged the two countries to negotiate.^[2] In 1969 the South Tyrolean People’s Party accepted a “Package” of 137 measures by 52.8% of its delegates. Opponents said it meant giving up reunion with Austria.^[2] The second Autonomy Statute came into force on 20 January 1972 and moved almost all powers from the region to the provinces of Bolzano and Trento.^[2] In 1992 Austria handed the UN a declaration that the dispute was settled.^[2]

“German speakers of South Tyrol were to be guaranteed a substantial autonomy. The agreement also acknowledged Austria’s official role as protecting power.”^[2]

Three language groups

South Tyrol is run by a 35-member provincial council and a provincial government whose make-up must reflect the language groups in the council.^[2] At each census residents declare which group they belong to, German, Italian or Ladin. That declaration decides who can apply for public jobs and social housing, which are shared out in proportion to the groups.^[2]

Public offices must answer in the language a citizen uses, and documents for the public must be bilingual, or trilingual in the Ladin valleys.^[2] The province receives most of the state taxes collected on its territory, on average about 90%, and those terms can only be changed with its agreement.^[2]