With a unique documentation, Franz Widmann has traced the struggle for South Tyrolean autonomy from 1945 to 1969. The author was one of the key pioneers of the political shift that began in 1957 with the election of the SVP chairman, marking the start of a new era. Widmann's sensitive portrayal of South Tyrolean history also provides precise insights into the often dramatic internal dynamics of the SVP on the path to the package vote in 1969 and the implementation of the Second Autonomy Statute in 1972. This book is an accurate, meticulous reconstruction of the fight for South Tyrolean autonomy from 1945 to 1972, drawing on up to 2,000 newspaper articles and documents, diaries of Hans Dietl, materials and notes from Franz Widmann himself, and especially previously unpublished protocols of the SVP.