AHC Independant Sardinia

[Hvalrossen]

With a pod in 1900 AD how could Sardinia become independant?

Then when Sardinia has achieved independace, how would ATL Sardinia differ from OTL Sardinia as part of Italy? How would the identity of Sardinia be, would they see themselfes as Italians outside mainland Italy similar to the Serbs in Croatia? What would happen to the languages of Sardinia? How would Sardinia be politically? How would this ATL Sardinia be like economically? What would be similar and what would be different in this ATL Sardinia compared with OTL Sardinia?

 

[Analytical Engine]

The mainland of Italy becomes communist, so Sardinia becomes the Italian Taiwan?

 

[yourworstnightmare]

I think we need a pre-1900 PoD. One of the problems is Italy was unified by Sardinia-Piemonte, so why would Sardinia not be a part of Italy. I guess if Italy went Communist after WW2, and Sardinia becomes a Italian Taiwan i.e. the "legitimate government of Italy" or "West Italy". But then you have the problem with the Cold War ending, and why wouldn't a Sardinia claiming to be the real Italian government not reunfy with post- Communist mainland Italy.

Culturally Sards at least have been different from Italians, but today there are many who identify themselves as Italians. Italy doesn't really officially see a difference between Sards and Italians so there no good statistics. There's about a million speakers of the Sard language and over 1,6 million inhabitants of Sardinia today, and while language isn't everything, these are the numbers that exist. Remember though if we have a Taiwan/ West Italy type of situation there would have been many mainland Italians fleeing to Sardinia, so there would be a larger number of Italians rather than "Sards".

 

[Hvalrossen]

The mainland of Italy becomes communist, so Sardinia becomes the Italian Taiwan?

Would that not just be an extension of mainland Italy then?

 

[Livius wannabe]

I'll raise with a Sardinia-Corsica union. They have some linguistic affinity after all.

 

[Hvalrossen]

I think we need a pre-1900 PoD. One of the problems is Italy was unified by Sardinia-Piemonte, so why would Sardinia not be a part of Italy. I guess if Italy went Communist after WW2, and Sardinia becomes a Italian Taiwan i.e. the "legitimate government of Italy" or "West Italy". But then you have the problem with the Cold War ending, and why wouldn't a Sardinia claiming to be the real Italian government not reunfy with post- Communist mainland Italy.

Culturally Sards at least have been different from Italians, but today there are many who identify themselves as Italians. Italy doesn't really officially see a difference between Sards and Italians so there no good statistics. There's about a million speakers of the Sard language and over 1,6 million inhabitants of Sardinia today, and while language isn't everything, these are the numbers that exist. Remember though if we have a Taiwan/ West Italy type of situation there would have been many mainland Italians fleeing to Sardinia, so there would be a larger number of Italians rather than "Sards".

Perhaps Sardinia could be given independance in the aftermath of WW2? Surveys have in many decades shown a 40% support for independance in Sardinia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sardinian_nationalism#Political_support
The number who were in favor of independance could increase or decrease if Sardinia got independance, something that will depend on Sardinias success as sovereign state.

 

[Hvalrossen]

I'll raise with a Sardinia-Corsica union. They have some linguistic affinity after all.

Possibly. OTL Corsica has had a seperatist movement, wanting more autonomy or out right independance. Corsica and Sardinia might then want to have some kind of union to combine their "forces".

 

[Jackson Lennock]

The WAllies decide to create an independent Sardinia following WW2.

Alternatively, the Monarchy referendum ends in favor of the Monarchy but the Republicans start a civil war backed by the Soviets. The Peninsula of Italy goes red, but the isles of Sardinia and Sicily become independent polities.

 

[ramones1986]

I'll raise with a Sardinia-Corsica union. They have some linguistic affinity after all.

Oh, the "Old Corsican" language...

 

[Jackson Lennock]

I'll raise with a Sardinia-Corsica union. They have some linguistic affinity after all.

The North Shore of Sardinia speaks Corsican, the town of Alghero speaks Catalan, a small pocket in the southwest speaks Ligurian, and the rest of the island speaks one of two dialects of Sardinian.

Sardinian is a separate branch of the Romance language family from Corsican and Corsican is part of the Tuscan dialect continuum.

Old Corsican was part of the "Island Romance" language family which includes modern day Sardinian, but present-day Corsicans don't speak old Corsican (I think).

Adding to this, Sardinian is actually considered a distinct minority language in Italy along with German, Friulian, Occitan, French, pockets of Greek, etc.