Editing South Tyrol (section)

== History ==
{{Main|History of South Tyrol}}

=== Annexation by Italy ===
South Tyrol as an administrative entity originated during the [[World War I|First World War]]. The [[Allies of World War I|Allies]] promised the area to Italy in the [[Treaty of London (1915)|Treaty of London of 1915]] as an incentive to enter the war on their side. Until 1918, it was part of the [[Austro-Hungarian Empire|Austro-Hungarian]] princely [[County of Tyrol]], but this almost completely German-speaking territory was occupied by Italy at the end of the war in November 1918 and was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy in 1919. The province as it exists today was created in 1926 after an administrative reorganization of the [[Kingdom of Italy]], and was incorporated together with the province of Trento into the newly created region of ''Venezia Tridentina'' ("Trentine [[Venetia (region)|Venetia]]").

With the rise of [[Italian Fascism]], the new regime made efforts to bring forward the [[Italianization of South Tyrol]]. The German language was banished from public service, German teaching was officially forbidden, and German newspapers were censored (with the exception of the fascistic ''Alpenzeitung''). The regime also favoured immigration from other Italian regions.

{{Main|South Tyrol Option Agreement}}
The subsequent alliance between [[Adolf Hitler]] and [[Benito Mussolini]] declared that South Tyrol would not follow the destiny of Austria, which [[Anschluss|had been annexed]] by [[Nazi Germany]]. Instead the dictators agreed that the German-speaking population be transferred to German-ruled territory or dispersed around Italy, but the outbreak of the [[World War II|Second World War]] prevented them from fully carrying out their plans.<ref>{{cite book |author=Hannes Obermair |title="Großdeutschland ruft!" Südtiroler NS-Optionspropaganda und völkische Sozialisation – "La Grande Germania chiamaǃ" La propaganda nazionalsocialista sulle Opzioni in Alto Adige e la socializzazione 'völkisch' |publisher= South Tyrolean Museum of History |location=[[Tyrol Castle]]|year=2020|language=de, it|isbn=978-88-95523-35-4 }}</ref> Every citizen was given the choice to give up their German cultural identity and stay in fascist Italy, or to leave their homeland for Nazi Germany to retain their cultural identity. This resulted in the division of South Tyrolese families.

In this tense relationship for the population, [[Walter Caldonazzi]] from Mals was part of the resistance group around the priest [[Heinrich Maier]], which passed plans and information about production facilities for [[V-1 flying bomb|V-1 rocket]]s, [[V-2 rocket]]s, [[Tiger tank]]s, [[Messerschmitt Bf 109]], and [[Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet]] and other aircraft to the Allies. The group planned for an independent Austria with a monarchical form of government after the war, which would include Austria, Bavaria and South Tyrol.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://austria-forum.org/af/Biographien/Caldonazzi%2C_Walter|title=Caldonazzi, Walter|website=Austria-Forum}}</ref><ref>Elisabeth Boeckl-Klamper, Thomas Mang, Wolfgang Neugebauer: ''Gestapo-Leitstelle Wien 1938–1945.'' Vienna 2018, {{ISBN|978-3-902494-83-2}}, pp. 299–305; Hans Schafranek: ''Widerstand und Verrat: Gestapospitzel im antifaschistischen Untergrund.'' Vienna 2017, {{ISBN|978-3-7076-0622-5}}, pp. 161–248; Fritz Molden: ''Die Feuer in der Nacht. Opfer und Sinn des österreichischen Widerstandes 1938–1945''. Vienna 1988, p. 122; Christoph Thurner "The CASSIA Spy Ring in World War II Austria: A History of the OSS's Maier-Messner Group" (2017); [https://www.meinbezirk.at/kufstein/c-lokales/gedenkstaette-fuer-vier-tapfere-tiroler-widerstandskaempfer-geweiht_a2229816 Memorial dedicated to four brave Tyrolese resistance fighters]</ref>

In 1943, when the Italian government signed [[Armistice of Cassibile|an armistice]] with the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]], the region was occupied by Nazi Germany, which reorganised it as the [[Operation Zone of the Alpine Foothills]] and put it under the administration of [[Gauleiter]] [[Franz Hofer]]. The region was ''[[de facto]]'' annexed to the [[Nazi Germany|German Reich]] (with the addition of the [[province of Belluno]]) until the end of the war. Italian rule was restored in 1945 as the Nazi regime ended.

=== Gruber–De Gasperi Agreement ===
[[File:1946-06-24 Big 4 Turns Down Austria on Tyrol-1.ogv|thumb|Austrians demonstrating in 1946 at a peace conference in favour of having the southern Tyrol region returned to Austria]]
After the war, the Allies decided that the province would remain a part of Italy, under the condition that the German-speaking population be granted a significant level of self-government. Italy and Austria negotiated an agreement in 1946, recognizing the rights of the German minority. [[Alcide De Gasperi]], Italy's prime minister, a native of Trentino, wanted to extend the autonomy to his fellow citizens. This led to the creation of the region called ''Trentino-Alto Adige/Tiroler Etschland''. The [[Gruber–De Gasperi Agreement]] of September 1946 was signed by the Italian and Austrian Foreign Ministers, creating the autonomous region of [[Trentino-South Tyrol]], consisting of the autonomous provinces of [[Trentino]] and South Tyrol. German and Italian were both made official languages, and German-language education was permitted once more. Still Italians were the majority in the combined region.

This, together with the arrival of new Italian-speaking immigrants, led to strong dissatisfaction among South Tyrolese, which culminated in terrorist acts perpetrated by the ''[[Befreiungsausschuss Südtirol]]'' (BAS&nbsp;– Liberation Committee of South Tyrol). In the first phase, only public edifices and fascist monuments were targeted. The second phase was bloodier, costing 21 lives (15 members of Italian security forces, two civilians, and four terrorists).

=== ''Südtirolfrage'' ===
The South Tyrolean Question (''Südtirolfrage'') became an international issue. As the implementation of the post-war agreement was deemed unsatisfactory by the Austrian government, it became a cause of significant friction with Italy and was taken up by the [[United Nations]] in 1960. A fresh round of negotiations took place in 1961 but proved unsuccessful, partly because of the campaign of [[terrorism]].

The issue was resolved in 1971, when a new Austro-Italian treaty was signed and ratified. It stipulated that disputes in South Tyrol would be submitted for settlement to the [[International Court of Justice]] in [[The Hague]], that the province would receive greater autonomy within Italy, and that Austria would not interfere in South Tyrol's internal affairs. The new agreement proved broadly satisfactory to the parties involved, and the separatist tensions soon eased.

The autonomous status granted in 1972 has resulted in a considerable level of self-government,<ref name="Danspeckgruber 2002 193">{{cite book |title=The Self-Determination of Peoples: Community, Nation, and State in an Interdependent World |last=Danspeckgruber |first=Wolfgang F. |year=2002 |publisher=Lynne Rienner Publishers |isbn=1-55587-793-1 |page=193 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6KbwDwueS6AC&pg=PA193}}</ref> and also allows the entity to retain almost 90% of all levied taxes.<ref>{{cite web
 |title       = The South Tyrol Autonomy. A Short Introduction
 |author      = Anthony Alcock
 |url         = http://www.provinz.bz.it/en/downloads/South-Tyrol-Autonomy.pdf
 |access-date  = 14 November 2007
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110821012516/http://www.provinz.bz.it/en/downloads/South-Tyrol-Autonomy.pdf
 |archive-date = 21 August 2011
}}</ref>

=== Autonomy ===
[[Image:Grundschule Südtirol.jpg|thumb|Plaque at a German-language school in both Italian and German]]
In 1992, Italy and Austria officially ended their dispute over the autonomy issue on the basis of the agreement of 1972.<ref>Rolf Steininger: "South Tyrol: A Minority Conflict of the Twentieth Century", Transaction Publishers, 2003, {{ISBN|978-0-7658-0800-4}}, pp.2</ref>

The extensive self-government<ref name="Danspeckgruber 2002 193"/> provided by the current institutional framework has been advanced as a model for settling interethnic disputes and for the successful protection of linguistic minorities.<ref>{{cite web
 | title = Tbilisi's S.Ossetia Diplomatic Offensive Gains Momentum
 | url = http://www.civil.ge/eng/detail.php?id=15335
 | access-date = 14 November 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071008123321/http://www.civil.ge/eng/detail.php?id=15335 |archive-date = 8 October 2007}}</ref> This is among the reasons why the Ladin municipalities of [[Cortina d'Ampezzo]]/Anpezo, [[Livinallongo del Col di Lana]]/Fodom and [[Colle Santa Lucia]]/Col have asked in a referendum to be detached from Veneto and reannexed to the province, from which they were separated under the fascist government.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.repubblica.it/2007/10/sezioni/cronaca/referendum-cortina/referendum-quorum/referendum-quorum.html |title=Referendum Cortina, trionfo dei "sì" superato il quorum nei tre Comuni |date=29 October 2007 |newspaper={{Lang|it|La Repubblica}} |access-date=20 August 2013 |location=Rome }}</ref>

=== Euroregion ===
[[Image:Tirol-Suedtirol-Trentino.png|thumb|The Euroregion Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino corresponds to the historic Tyrol region today (excluding [[Cortina d'Ampezzo|Cortina]], Livinallongo, [[Pedemonte]] and [[Valvestino]]).
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{{legend|#fe7f7f| [[Tyrol (federal state)|North and East Tyrol]] ([[Austria]]) }}
{{legend|#f7b77b| South Tyrol ([[Italy]]) }}
{{legend|#7b7bf7| [[Trentino]] ([[Italy]]) }} ]]
In 1996, the [[Euroregion Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino]] was formed between the Austrian state of Tyrol and the Italian provinces of South Tyrol and Trentino. The boundaries of the association correspond to the old County of Tyrol. The aim is to promote regional peace, understanding and cooperation in many areas. The region's assemblies meet together as one on various occasions, and have set up a common liaison office with the [[European Union]] in Brussels.