Le origini della Suedtiroler Volkspartei (1945-1948)

The dissertation is titled “The Origins of the Südtiroler Volkspartei (1945-1948)”. It is a research about the foundation of a party, established in Bolzano at the end of World War II by a group of German ethnic citizens. This party, founded during the anglo-american occupation in Italy, became in three years and a half the most representative party within the German minority that inhabited the region and it stayed it this way during the entire XXth century. In this research I reconstruct the historical, economic, political and social context in which the South tyrolean people’s party (SVP) started and developed, from its foundation May 8th 1945 to the first national and local elections in the post World War II period involving citizens of Italian, German and Ladin origin in the province of Bolzano. This dissertation encompasses the main phases of the transformation of SVP in Sammelpartei: first, the search for political establishment during the administration of the Allied Forces; second, the formation of a democratic front in support of the demand for self determination and then autonomy; finally, the turning point of the alliance with the Christian Democratic Party. The research is based on consultation of public press and bibliography in Italian and German and on the Archives of the South tyrolean people’s party – located at the Provincial Archives in Bolzano and encompassing documents regarding party activity from 1945 to 1985.