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.