Further division of Austria after 1921

What is Tyrol and Salzburg join Germany in 1921?
In OTL, there was voting and in Tyrol, 98,6% was for joining Germany, while Salzburg region also has majority to join (while Voralrbeg was willing to join with Swizerland).
Or if not joining Germany, what if they together go independent?
Is it plausible or not?
(source: Austrian learn book Zeitbilder, Geschihte und Socialkunde, written by Scheucher, Wald, Lein, Staudinger).
 
Unlikely.

I stated my opionion regarding the Kanton Übrig at a different place - it boils down that even disregarding all other factors, Swiss internal politics make it very unlikely.
While there were publications at the time that disagreed (I read one from 1923 - I'd have to look it up again however, I don't remember the title), the most common problem that was stated against the (German-)Austrian nation was that it was too small to be economical viable. So anyone trying to set up even smaller subdivisions it pretty much damned to fail.
While I never studied the Salzburg situation in detail, with Tyrol it was a desperate attempt to keep the historical country together. I'd have to look it up again, but IIRC the 98% vote wasn't in any way representative.
What did happen was, that for Tyrolean politicans the most important thing was keeping the area together. IIRC they didn't (stopped?) sending representatives to Vienna when it became clear that Austria as it was wouldn't be able to stand up to the Winning Power Italy over South Tyrol. They hoped that the more powerful Germany would be able to create facts on the ground as it is, forcing Italy to abbandon their claims by force... Pretty unrealistic if viewed with nowadays, or even 1930s knowledge.

The probem isn't the descisions by the Bundesländer - you have to make others accept it. Germany isn't really in a position to do anything between internal conflict, having parts of their country occupied and the economic situation (inflation...).
Vienna wasn't about to let any parts split off - especially losing Salzburg would probably be interpreted as a death sentence to Austria.
The Entente, and more so Italy, also weren't about to let it happen. The most sympathic would probably have been the USA. And they were already swinging back from intervention in Europe, they didn't even ratify the treaties all this is based on.
 
What about Salzburg & Tyrol joining together to form some sort of new, quazi independent state (perhaps keeping South Tirol but losing Trentino), but be de-facto be the puppet state of Italy??
 
For a proper answer to that you'd need someone with more knowledge about Italian post-war politics and aims. lukedalton here on the forum comes to mind - though I don't always agree with his conclusion...

I know that Italy did want to avoid a direct land boarder with Germany, with a buffer state inbetween - ideally one that was closely alinged with Italian interests.
Despite the contention point of South Tyrol, Austria did actually drift into an Italian-friendly position (or maybe just Mussolini friendly?) in the late 20s and the 30s. Italy feared (probably too strong a word) a sozialist Austria and funded right wing groups during this time - since those same right wing groups (not always the same, sometimes, but not always political parties) were more or less involved in the Austrian government at the time they did get relatively close. Especially after Hitler's power grab in Germany, but before Abyssina, Italy was the most important garuanteer of Austrian independence versus Germany.

So the question is: Why replace a marginal useful possible puppet against a less useful one? If having a buffer is so important, it's probably better to prop up a bigger one for the same price it takes to keep a weaker one alive at all? And if there is no need for a buffer, well they might have argued for all of Tyrol from the get go.
 
What about right POD, like the Hungarian Soviet republic last longer (and communists manage to get support in Vienna, Lower Austria,...).
Perhaps the Soviet support Hungary more (I know they were against dividing multi national states). So, if that somehow works, we get Hungarian state, rump Austrian state (and I strongly believe those two to merge eventualy), and the rest could (Salzburg and Tyrol) go independent (buffer and puppet state).
It is just one crazy idea I got, and I like to exploit it as far as I can (I have been to Tyrol and Salzburg and fell in love with those places). :)
Have fun, everyone!
 
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