1960: The UN's South Tyrol Resolution

The economic and social conditions in South Tyrol drastically deteriorated in the 1950s and 1960s. Due to an ongoing influx of Italian workers from southern provinces and the simultaneous emigration of German speakers to Germany and Switzerland, there was soon talk of the “death march” of the South Tyroleans. The autonomy that was granted by Italy in 1948 proved increasingly to be a “sham autonomy”. Large protest rallies were unsuccessful, such as for example those at the Sigmundskron Castle in November 1957, in which about 35,000 people took to the streets protesting with the slogan “away from Trento” and for autonomy for South Tyrol. Under Foreign Minister Bruno Kreisky, the Austrian government together with South Tyrolean and Tyrolean politicians then decided to go to the UN General Assembly to demand the autonomy rights of South Tyrol. With UN Resolution 1497/XV on October 31, 1960, Austria and Italy were called upon to find a solution for all disagreements on the basis of the Gruber–De Gasperi Agreement of September 1946. In the autumn of 1961 Austria was again brought before the UN General Assembly but this merely led to a reaffirmation of the resolution from 1960. However, the UN resolutions ultimately led to the creation of the so-called “Commission of Nineteen” by the Italian government. With the involvement of representatives from the German-speaking minority as well, this commission (of 19 members) prepared the second Statute of Autonomy over the course of many years of negotiation.