Italianization of South Tyrol

In 1919, at the time of its annexation, the middle part of the County of Tyrol, which is today called South Tyrol (Italian: Alto Adige), was inhabited by almost 90% German speakers. Under the 1939 South Tyrol Option Agreement, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini determined the status of ethnic Germans and Ladins (a Rhaeto-Romance–speaking ethnic group) living in the region. They could emigrate to Germany, or stay in Italy and accept their complete Italianization. As a consequence of this, the society of South Tyrol was deeply riven. Those who wanted to stay, the so-called Dableiber, were condemned as traitors while those who left (Optanten) were defamed as Nazis. Because of the outbreak of World War II, this agreement was never fully implemented. Illegal Katakombenschulen ('Catacomb schools') were set up to teach children the German language.