South Tyrol Option Agreement

A decisive role was played by the Völkischer Kampfring, a local Nazi group, with its successful propagandistic appeals to the German "nationality" and "ethnicity" of South Tyroleans, and its terror acts against dissenters.

The process intensified in the 1930s, when the government of Benito Mussolini encouraged thousands of southern Italians to relocate to the region, in a deliberate attempt at reducing the indigenous German-speaking population to minority status.

Children were taught the prohibited German language in clandestine catacombe schools and Catholic media and associations resisted the forced integration under the protection of the Vatican.

The underground resistance movement, the Völkischer Kampfring Südtirols, was formed by a Nazi party member, Peter Hofer [de].

For his part, Hitler also placed sufficient value maintaining friendly relations with Mussolini to avoid pursuing irredentist claims against Italy.

The Völkischer Kampfring, a local Nazi organization, condemned the Dableiber as "traitors", comparing them to "Jews" or "Gypsies", and was responsible for aggressive propaganda, violence and terror acts against them.

Despite Austrian efforts, South Tyrol remained part of Italy after World War II, and many chose to take up Italian citizenship after the Gruber–De Gasperi Agreement of September 1946.

[citation needed] According to the 2001 census, more than two-thirds (69.4%) of the population of the province still speak German, 26.3% Italian and 4.3% Ladin as their mother language.