Italy Adds New Regions from Austria
What Happened
After winning World War I, Italy gained significant new territories from the defeated Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye gave Italy the South Tyrol (Alto Adige) region, where most people spoke German, and Trentino, where Italian was common. This was Italy's biggest territorial expansion since unification.
Impact on Citizenship
When Italy acquired these territories from Austria-Hungary, residents had important choices to make. People living in these regions automatically became Italian citizens unless they formally chose not to. Anyone born in these regions after this date was considered born in Italy for citizenship purposes. However, those who didn't want Italian citizenship had to formally declare their choice and leave the territory within a year.
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