Challenge: Independant Tyrol

[Baskilisk]

Really, this could be in the Pre-1900 forum, but here seems more fitting. Anyways, the challenge as stated: is it possible?

 

[Minchandre]

Really, this could be in the Pre-1900 forum, but here seems more fitting. Anyways, the challenge as stated: is it possible?

Define "independent". Tyrol was essentially an integral part of Hapsburg Austria from the mid-1700s onward, though it was notionally its own County. This probably could have continued if the A-H Empire hadn't been forced to republicanize after WWI.

Going the other way, southern Tyrol (the Italian bit) is offered a reasonable deal of autonomy by modern Italy. In a few years, and with a strong EU, we might get the European quasi-Balkanization people keep talking about: if Catalonia, Wallonia, and Scotland become "independent", there isn't a whole lot stopping Tyrol from doing the same - though it'd probably join the rest of Austria.

 

[jacobus]

Someday, there might be an independent Tyrol: who can say for sure? They might want to think about designing a new flag if they ever do achieve nationhood, however. According to the website FOTW the Italian and Austrian Tyrolese both fly the same boring flag, a bicolor, split horizontally, white over red.

 

[xt828]

I wonder how plausible it might have been to make it an independent nation after WW1 along similar lines to Danzig? It was desired by both Austria and Italy, and IIRC had reasonably substantial populations of each.

 

[I Blame Communism]

I wonder how plausible it might have been to make it an independent nation after WW1 along similar lines to Danzig? It was desired by both Austria and Italy, and IIRC had reasonably substantial populations of each.

Thing is...

-Nobody gave a shit what Austria thought.

-It wasn't actually "ethnically mixed." There was a German bit and an Italian bit, clear as day, and Italy grabbed a subtstantial part of the German pit in order to have a defensible Alpine frontier. Italy is not going to accept the creation of a "state" which will eventually try to join Austria/Germany, possibly dragging the Italian bit, which was a decided minority, along with it.

-There is no strategic need for joint control, Danzig, a city as German as Hamburg, was made into a "state" because Poland needed a port (I, for one, maintain that in the immediate post-war Poland actually did need a secure port: even Stresemann waged trade-war on Poland, of all people). Italy's strategic needs are served by annexing Trento and Bozen, and as noted nobody gives a crap abour Austria's strategic needs.

 

[xt828]

By "desired" I meant that both nations felt they had a claim on the region. As you say, Austria was a defeated nation, and it might be plausible that Italy would push an independent Tyrol with a view towards annexing the whole thing later.

That being said, I agree that it's quite unlikely, and was just trying to think of a time when it'd be possible. Another possibility might be a pro-Italian/Italian puppet rump Austria in defiance of an alt-Anschluss, but that'd be ignoring too many butterflies for me to be comfortable with it.

 

[htgriffin]

It really needs an alternate WWI but...

The only chance I can see is if Rome and Vienna both get arm-twisted into accepting it as a buffer state. Beyond that either an Austrian partition after WWII or something very pre 1900.

HTG