WI: Austria had kept South Tyrol after WWI?

Baby Kata

Banned
It makes more sense on ethnographic grounds, for sure, but Italy would have received even less compensation for their war effort, which means that "mutilated peace" sentiments would probably be even higher than in OTL.
 
It is unfair that Italy took the land north of Bolzano, yes, but this does not change the fact that they gave Italy so little, that the country had sustained extremely severe losses in the war and that its efforts, though misguided, had still contributed much to the war effort, notably to the eventual collapse of Austria-Hungary. Since Italy could and did occupy this area, it would also be unreasonable to demand that they leave. Furthermore, control of the Brenner pass was too important to dismiss and Italy believed that occupying it would ensure long term security. What I do think should have been done is to have placed stricter conditions for some level of protection and noninterference in the local local population's way of life. The same goes for any other territory in which it was decided to be necessary to contradict the principle of self-determination.
 
Nothing of significance happened in South Tyrol post WW1, there are no vital resources or significant corporations there and Austria having 300k people more or less makes no noticeable difference.
 
Not even Cesare Battisti wanted the frontiers of Italy at the Brennero, but in the end there is very little change: "mutilated victory" still the same, no italizing during Fascism, South Tyrol doesn't get his special autonomy status and lots of money (which is the reason they will never want to secede OTL) during thee Republic. Ah, Austria is a bit stronger in winter sports than it already is. The end.
 
Also the weather forecasts in Austria won't be awkward a present temperature, winds and precipitation for a city in another country.

(Yeah, the forecasts include Bolzano/Bolzen on TV).
 
This would butterfly Hitler out of getting into power.
How so? The German revanchists would still be obsessed with the Polish corridor, and Austria's identity crisis during the first half of the twentieth century would still be in play.

Once Austria went from a province of the Habsburg lands to just a region of central Europe that spoke German, it was hard to avoid the idea of a pan-German republic. Austria wouldn't have a firm national identity if it didn't welcome in the Germans during the anschluss, then go with the victim myth postwar. The rural Austrians discovered that the only thing they liked less than being ruled from a distant capital in Vienna was being bossed around by an even more distant capital in Berlin, but it probably the anschluss for them to discover it.

A peaceful Anschluss has become part fo several Weimar republic TL, but it would be interesting to see a scenario where Austria joins Germany then changes its mind. It could become a Bavaria on steroids dominated its own regional party, or push for an indepedence referendum later on like a German version of Scotland.
 

oberdada

Gone Fishin'
How so? The German revanchists would still be obsessed with the Polish corridor, and Austria's identity crisis during the first half of the twentieth century would still be in play.

Once Austria went from a province of the Habsburg lands to just a region of central Europe that spoke German, it was hard to avoid the idea of a pan-German republic. Austria wouldn't have a firm national identity if it didn't welcome in the Germans during the anschluss, then go with the victim myth postwar. The rural Austrians discovered that the only thing they liked less than being ruled from a distant capital in Vienna was being bossed around by an even more distant capital in Berlin, but it probably the anschluss for them to discover it.

A peaceful Anschluss has become part fo several Weimar republic TL, but it would be interesting to see a scenario where Austria joins Germany then changes its mind. It could become a Bavaria on steroids dominated its own regional party, or push for an indepedence referendum later on like a German version of Scotland.


Cold, very cold.
 
How so? The German revanchists would still be obsessed with the Polish corridor, and Austria's identity crisis during the first half of the twentieth century would still be in play.

Once Austria went from a province of the Habsburg lands to just a region of central Europe that spoke German, it was hard to avoid the idea of a pan-German republic. Austria wouldn't have a firm national identity if it didn't welcome in the Germans during the anschluss, then go with the victim myth postwar. The rural Austrians discovered that the only thing they liked less than being ruled from a distant capital in Vienna was being bossed around by an even more distant capital in Berlin, but it probably the anschluss for them to discover it.

A peaceful Anschluss has become part fo several Weimar republic TL, but it would be interesting to see a scenario where Austria joins Germany then changes its mind. It could become a Bavaria on steroids dominated its own regional party, or push for an indepedence referendum later on like a German version of Scotland.
A: Yes, in principle we're in favor of Anschluss, but there's some... things... here's our list of demands for special privileges.
G: List? This is a stack of paper as thick as my arm!
A: Just sign it and think of Germania.
 
This would butterfly Hitler out of getting into power.

I doubt that. Hitler actually made himself unpopular with many people on the nationalist Right by refusing to make a fuss about the South Tyrol--getting Mussolini as an ally against the hated French was to him much more important than resisting the attempted Italianization of the South Tyrolese. If that had not been an issue (in a TL where the Austrians had retained the South Tyrol) Hitler would actually have been marginally more popular, at least for awhile.

In fact , defending his stance on the South Tyrol issue was Hitler's immediate reason for dictating his "Second Book." But the South Tyrol issue faded, and the Second Book was never published. So all in all, it's hard to see how the issue made any long-run difference in Hitler's career.
 
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