Italianization of South Tyrol

In 1923, three years after South Tyrol had been formally annexed, Italian place names, almost entirely based on the Prontuario dei nomi locali dell'Alto Adige, were made official by means of a decree.

[5] The fascist law regulations remained in effect after World War II, becoming a bone of contention for decades until they were eventually reconsidered in the 1990s.

[9] German schoolbooks were secretly smuggled across the border, often hidden in religious buildings before being distributed to the South Tyrolean pupils.

[9] After initial difficulties, secret seminars for the instruction of teachers were organized throughout the province, usually under the protection of the Catholic Church.

[9] The balancing act between the instruction in Italian and German schools, where often the exact opposite[clarification needed] was taught, especially in history and the social fields, left many Tyrolean pupils with a torn identity.

In the 21st century, just over 100 years after the Italian annexation of the region,[10] 64% of the population of South Tyrol speak German as their first and everyday language.

[citation needed] In the 1990s, a commission consisting of the Professors Josef Breu (Vienna, representing Austria in the Toponymy commission of the UN), Peter Glatthard (Berne) and Carlo Alberto Mastrelli (Florence, current "Archivio per l'Alto Adige") failed as Mastrelli insisted on the fascist decrees, while Breu and Glatthard promoted the UN guidelines.