By Giuseppe Cristofolini
Italy, in conquering its natural borders along the Alpine ridge, has found included within its borders about 180,000 alloglots, some of them of German origin (residues of medieval barbarian invaders), others Italians who were Germanized in the course of the centuries.
Indeed, in Venezia Tridentina there is no compactly German northern territory, as is claimed by the Pan-Germanists who do not know how to cope with the loss of the beautiful "South Tyrol", but rather there is an area of mixed population with a preponderance of the German element in some towns.
The first Teutonic penetrations into the upper valleys of the Adige date to the second half of the 6th century. The barbaric Baiuvari tribe, coming across the Brenner from Bavaria, passes into the Isarco basin and into Pusteria, taking up a permanent settlement there and overwhelming the scarce native population, which in part remains there, losing traces of its Latin origin after several centuries, while another part withdraws into the most distant valleys between the mountains, where it is able to keep its ancient character and ancient language intact.
Thus, after the 7th and 8th centuries, the Ladin lands of Badia, Marebbe and Gardena are distinguished from the Isarco and Pusteria valleys, which from then on — in terms of customs and language — have a Germanized population, united ecclesiastically to the German archbishopric of Salzburg after 798.
The Germanization occurs at a much slower pace in the territory of the upper Adige valley, due to the strong resistance during the Longobard and Frankish periods on the part of the Duchy and March of Trento, which also includes the area of Bolzano and marks the boundaries of Italy at the lock of Bressanone.
German immigrants live here for a long time alongside the natives, without being able to impose their own language on them. The towns of Caldaro and Appiano, and especially Bolzano, maintain their Romance language throughout the Middle Ages.
In Venosta, German dominance is greatly favored by the ecclesiastical power, the influence of which makes itself felt when — after the Treaty of Verdun — the bishopric of Chur, which has jurisdiction over the valley, passes from dependency on the archbishopric of Milan to that of Mainz, and even later around the year 1150, when the German Benedictine abbey of Marienberg is founded, which is the only influential center of culture in those remote villages.
During this time the methodical and aggressive de-nationalization policy of the counts of Tyrol (who usurp the lands of the Adige from the princes of Trento) and their successors the Dukes of Austria manifests itself and develops: a policy which achieves remarkable and indisputable results; while on the other hand the contiguous Val Monastero, united to Switzerland, preserves and still today maintains the language of Rome.
The definitive prevailing of German over Romance in Venosta dates back to the Counter-Reformation period, in relation to the persecutions against the Ladins of Protestant Grisons. However, numerous testimonies attest to the continued persistence of Latinity, as evidenced by the fact that the German curia still has to turn to the Romansh friars of the Grisons for sermons and confessions in the 1600's.
In the 17th and 18th centuries the Ladin language disappears in the area north of Merano, especially after the introduction of German schools, although it left numerous genuine expressions in the dialect of today's German-speakers and clearly reveals itself in the local toponymy.
The conditions are quite different in the Val d'Adige south of Merano, where Germanism makes its greatest progress towards the end of the Middle Ages, descending along the river towards Trento. The wide furrow, which marks the most direct and most traveled road between Italy and Germany, sees the two peoples meet and mingle in alternating events.
With the expansion of the power of the counts of Tyrol, the Germans advance towards the flourishing cities of the Adige and towards the villages south of Bolzano. Foreign nobles are invested with new jurisdictions, where they settle and bring with them a certain number of vassals from their native lands. An overwhelming number of convents arise particularly around the most populated centers — mighty fortresses of Germanism all connected to the religious orders beyond the Brenner.
The Italian element, however, does not yield, being reinforced by the increasingly frequent relations with Venetian and Lombard merchants, especially in Bolzano which adopts Italian as a commercial language and whose city life comes under the influence of the princely court of Trento, dazzling with splendors of the Italian Renaissance.
The temporary union of the Prince-Bishopric of Bressanone with that of Trento brings closer together the fortunes of Alto Adige to those of Trentino, and the regional geographical unity is increasingly felt due to the natural identity of interests, production and climate.
The years pass, the Napoleonic wars come, which ushers in the rights of the nation, bringing the borders of the Italic Kingdom to the north of Bolzano and Merano.
But the time is not yet ripe. The Empire of Vienna returns with a reactionary policy. The Principality of Trento is suppressed and Austria assumes direct and absolute dominion over Venezia Tridentina for the first time.
However, in the last century, Italian immigration progresses from the Trentine valleys of Non and Fiemme and from the Val Lagarina, into both the cities and the countryside, where our farmers begin the reclamation of marshy lands — an unconscious pioneer of national recovery.
Therefore, the last period before the war marks an increase in the Italianness of Alto Adige, not organized but spontaneous and progressive. But it also marks — following the separation of Lombardy and Venetia — a de-nationalization of which the Austrian imperial government, the Tyrolean provincial government, the secular and religious clergy and the Pan-Germanist associations are all powerful instruments.
German schools and German priests impose themselves in all the villages up to Salorno, including the Italian centers of Vadena, Bronzollo, Laives, etc., and after the 1870's also in the Ladin valleys of Gardena and Badia. Italian place names and family names are bastardized with German endings or even translated into German.
Each new building flaunts the exotic features of northern architecture never before seen in this region. Especially in Bolzano, new districts are built with a deliberately Teutonic appearance, in contrast to the old Venetian-style city, and a monument to Walter — a German minstrel — is erected in the main square as a symbol of Germanism.
Our population lives in a state of absolute inferiority in the face of overbearing German-speakers favored by the government. The Italian workforce and Italian capital are banned, while all the facilities are given to German companies; and craftsmen, professionals, teachers, priests and officials from beyond the Alps are called into the country, as was also demonstrated in some definitive pages of the book published in 1911 by Benito Mussolini: "Il Trentino visto da un socialista".
No Italian writing is seen anymore, nor bilingual writings, but only the language of the rulers dominates.
In the face of such a threat, our nation is absent; the people of Trentino give little help, being as they are too busy trying to fend off the snares that are pressing them on nearly all sides.
Ettore Tolomei and Ferruccio Tolomei rise up almost alone to fight the beautiful battle for Italy at the Brenner with great tenacity; equally great is the indifference of their compatriots.
Thus the war finds the nation unprepared for the problem of foreigners within the state border. Victory brings us the territory, but could not save the citizens, as any conscience of Italianness was sufficated by Teutonic arrogance over the centuries, in order to guarantee that the gate to the Italian Peninsula would remain open and free for their invasions.
For four years after the war, all the instruments ordered by Austria for the definitive interlocking of the towns north of Salorno were left to subsist and operate. It is necessary that a new national consciousness be formed: the advent of Fascist Italy is necessary.
The March on Rome has its prelude in the March on Bolzano and Trento, during which Perathoner and Credaro — the German enemy and the cowardly Italian — are expelled from their posts.
Italy finally makes itself felt at the Brenner. Our sovereign language enters schools, state and municipal offices, Italian toponymy returns, anti-national associations are dissolved and ties with foreign countries are severed; provisions are applied to nationalize the new citizens.
The Italian element finally prevails; the alloglot, by nature meek and industrious, shows himself obedient to the established authorities.
Our language, thanks to a wise education policy, is understood and spoken almost everywhere.
The increasingly frequent contacts with the interior, especially with Trentino, bring the new compatriots closer to us. The Ladin lands and villages under Bolzano have returned to their Italic purity, despite the fact that here and there German doctors, officials and especially priests are still operating and some squires still exercise feudal rights there, according to the customs of the past.
National consciousness is rising in the numerous self-styled Germans — Italians by blood and by name — who populate Bolzano and the surrounding villages, and the old pro-Austrian personalities, who were previously recognized by our authorities and considered representatives of the country, have now been justly cast aside.
Pan-Germanism, however, has not disarmed itself: it fears our strength, but also takes advantage of our deficiencies.
A strong slanderous propaganda campaign has been launched against Italy abroad and money is collected to finance the reaction against our policy.
There is a veiled resistance led by a few stubborn individuals, in frequent connection with the German irredentist circles of Innsbruck and Munich, aided in their action by recently immigrated foreigners who — in absolutely excessive numbers — work and own homes and property in Alto Adige, although, due to the excessive tolerance of past governments, they have become Italian citizens.
Above all, the rabble-rousing work of the clergy, which still exerts a pernicious political influence on the populations through the church, the school and charitable institutions, proves to be fearful.
Anti-national associations and institutes are trying to resist, and the work of the Austrian banks continues: despite our prohibitions, they still keep their branches in Bolzano, Merano and Bressanone open.
Of course there is still a lot to do, also because from time to time our action has been subjected to uncertainties and interruptions.
Suffice it to mention the land redemption, which particular provisions should have favored, but which so far has not been carried out.
The result of a centuries-old denationalization policy can not disappear in only a few years.
But Italy, rejecting past weaknesses, must resume its vigilant post on the now forever forbidden threshold, carrying out that work of assimilation proclaimed by the Duce, which is required for the interest and by the law of the nation.
