FROM THE DAWN OF HISTORY TO A BORDER PROVINCE 

Today's Republic of Austria is a small country located in the center of Europe. The origins of present-day Austria can be traced far back into history. The country has been populated since pre-historic times, and numerous peoples have passed through it. As a nation at the heart of Europe, Austria has had its full share of the continent's history, including the suffering. Over the centuries it developed from a border region into a powerful empire and a multinational entity which collapsed at the end of the First World War. 

From the emergence of the border province until the distintegration of the empire, Austria was ruled by two dynasties: the Babenbergs and the Habsburgs. After the First World War the newly proclaimed small Republic of Austria was called upon to come to terms with its European environment. Austria emerged from the Second World War and the anguish associated with it as a nation that feels secure in its existence and is aware of its role in Europe. 

HOME OF THE ILLYRIANS AND THE CELTS 

The first traces of settlements in sheltered areas at a high altitude date back to the Palaeolithic Age. The Danube area was settled between 80,000 and 10,000 B.C. The "Tänzerin" and the "Venus of Willendorf" from the Krems area provide the first evidence of early cultures. In the Neolithic period these early inhabitants already practised crop and livestock farming and used tools made of metal. In 1991 the sensational discovery of a mummified male body dating from the Stone Age was made in the glacial ice of the Ötztal Alps. 

In the early Iron Age, between about 800 and 400 B.C., the Indo-European Illyrians lived on the territory now covered by Austria. They traded widely, mainly in salt and ores. This Hallstatt civilization, named after the most important site of their culture, was spread further by the Celts, who maintained trade relations all over Europe. This people, which had migrated from Western Europe, established tightly organized principalities. Salt and the high-quality Noric iron mined at the Styrian Erzberg continued to form the economic mainstay of their power. 

AUSTRIA ROMANA 

THE TRIBAL MIGRATIONS 

The decline of Roman power, which was threatened by the influx of peoples from the East, went hand in hand with a weakening of Roman rule in this region. Germanic tribes infiltrated from beyond the borders, and with the downfall of the Roman Empire the Roman way of life and culture disappeared from this area as well. During the following era of mass migration, various tribes passed through the territory covered by the Austria of today, leaving the country devastated. From the 6th century onwards continuous settlement of the area started again, this time by the Bavarians who met with the Slavs and the Avars advancing from the East. In numerous battles the Bavarians succeeded in firmly establishing themselves. They were a people of crop farmers and settled in rural areas. The towns dating from the Roman era fell into decay during this period. The ecclesiastical organisation of the country dates from the 4th century. The bishoprics of Passau, Regensburg and Salzburg made an important contribution to the further settlement of the country. 

CAROLINGIAN AND OTTONIAN BORDER PROVINCE 

The Frankish ruler Charlemagne, after his victory over the Avars, established a system of border protectorates. For this purpose he founded the Carolingian border province between the river Enns, Raab and Drau. At the end of the 9th century the Magyars encroached upon Austrian territory and inflicted a devastating defeat upon the Bavarian forces "apud Weniam" (= near Vienna). The border province crumbled: it was not until 995 that Otto the Great succeeded in defeating the Magyars and re-conquering the area. Around 970 the "Karantanische Mark" (Carantanian Province) under the administration of the Eppenstein dynasty was founded as an autonomous area. In 976 Leopold von Babenberg, descendant of a noble Bavarian family, was made the ruler of the area between the Enns and the Traisen. 

RULE OF THE BABENBERGS

MARGRAVIATE OF AUSTRIA 

It is possible that the new ruler of this area resided in Melk. Later on, however, the Babenbergs moved their residence further eastwards; in 1156 Duke Heinrich II ("Jasomirgott") chose Vienna as his definitive residence. The Babenberg rulers succeeded in gradually expanding their sphere of influence. They extended their possessions to the North of the Danube and further to the East and South. Before the turn of the millennium (996) a document referred to the region of the Alpine foothills under its present name "Österreich" ("ostarrichi" = Austria). The further settlement and colonization of the country was completed around 1200. The monasteries and abbeys founded by the Babenbergs played an important role in this process and soon also became centers of cultural life. 

AUSTRIA BECOMES A DUCHY 

In the course of the investiture conflict which smouldered in the Holy Roman Empire, the Babenbergs sided with the emperor; as a reward for their loyalty they received the western Mühlviertel from Bavaria. In 1192 the Babenberg Leopold V obtained the Duchy of Styria through inheritance. Moreover, he took part in the crusade and excelled in the battle of Akko. In 1192 Leopold V imprisoned his rival, the English king Richard the Lionhearted, and released him only on payment of a high ransom which was used to fortify the towns of Wiener Neustadt and Vienna. ] 

In the first half of the 13th century cultural life at the court of the Babenbergs was in full bloom. Minstrels such as Walther von der Vogelweide and Ulrich von Liechtenstein wrote their songs. Romanesque architecture came to a late fruition. 

THE INTERREGNUM 

In 1246 the childless Duke Friedrich II died in the battle of the Leitha River against the Magyars. After his death his lands became the object of their neighbors' power politics. Eventually the Austrian nobility sided with the Bohemian king Ottokar II Przemysl, who secured the heritage for himself by marrying the last Babenberg's sister. He quickly succeeded in establishing order in the country, in re-conquering Styria and in taking over Carinthia through a contract of inheritance. His sphere of influence extended from the Sudeten mountains to the Adriatic Sea. The Holy Roman Empire's newly elected king, Rudolf of Habsburg, however, was not prepared to recognize the Bohemian king's power. Ottokar refused to swear an oath of allegiance and was placed under the ban of the Empire. He still had many supporters, and eventually the two sides resorted to arms. Ottokar was killed in the battle of Dürnkrut in 1278. The Babenberg lands were occupied by Rudolf von Habsburg. 

In 1282 Rudolf enfeoffed his two sons with the Duchies of Austria and Styria, thus laying the foundations for Habsburg dynastic power. 

600 YEARS OF HABSBURG RULE

THE ESTABLISHING OF DYNASTIC POWER 

The partitions and family feuds of the next few decades considerably weakened the power of the Habsburg dynasty. Further losses of territory in Switzerland were to a large extent offset by the acquisition of part of what is today the province of Vorarlberg. Albrecht succeeded in imposing peace; by marrying Emperor Sigismund's daughter he secured the Habsburgs claim to the Luxembourg heritage. 

THE HABSBURG AS RULERS OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE 

In 1483 Albrecht V was elected King of Bohemia and Hungary and, as Albrecht II, King of Germany. When he died only a year later, before his heir Ladislaus was born, Friedrich from the Tyrolean line of the Habsburgs took over the guardianship for his nephew Ladislaus, who died young (1457). Friedrich was elected German king as Friedrich III and, only a few years later, crowned Emperor in Rome. Through his prudent policy of alliances he laid the initial foundations for the Habsburg Empire. He married his son Maximilian to the Burgundian heiress Maria. Maximilian, through a shrewd marital policy, ensured the hereditary succession in Bohemia, Hungary and Spain for his grandsons Ferdinand and Karl. Subsequently, the Habsburg dynasty divided into the Austro-German and the Spanish-Dutch lines. In 1526, after the death of the last Jagellonian king Ludwig II in the battle at Mohács, Bohemia and Hungary were united with Austria. 

During the period of humanism art and science flourished, and Maximilian laid the foundations for a modern administration in his lands. 

THE OTTOMAN WARS 

The victory over the Ottomans engendered a new awareness of life, epitomized in the Baroque era which saw the creation of many magnificent buildings. Castles, churches and monasteries were rebuilt in new splendor. Serene exuberance and deep religiosity were the prevailing features of the typically Austrian Baroque style. 

In 1700 the Spanish line of the Habsburgs became extinct. In a European war, the "War of the Spanish Succession," the Austrian line (casa d'Austria) did not succeed in winning back the Spanish possessions but managed to maintain its rule over Italy and the Netherlands. 

THE AGE OF MARIA THERESIA

Empress Maria Teresa

With the death of Emperor Karl VI the male line of the Habsburgs had died out. Karl's daughter Maria Theresia succeeded her father as the Empress of the patrimonial lands, the Pragmatic Sanction (which had been issued in 1713 as a dynastic measure, mainly to ensure the indivisibility of the lands) allowing for female succession. The young Empress, who married Franz Stephan of Lorraine, found herself faced with an array of enemies who were seeking to seize the Habsburg lands. The Prussian King Frederick II in particular spared no effort to gain possesion of this heritage. Maria Theresia had to fight two arduous wars (the Silesian War, 1740-1748, and the Seven Years' War, 1756-1763) in order to retain her lands intact, with the exception of the rich province of Silesia which she lost to Prussia.

REVOLUTION AND RESTORATION

The ideas of the French Revolution, which - although tentatively - also gained ground in Austria, represented a serious threat to Austrian absolutism. Emperor Franz II, grandson of Maria Theresia and nephew of the executed French Queen Marie Antoinette, joined the coalition against revolutionary France. Napoleon conducted several campaigns in which Austria suffered severe defeats. 

After Napoleon had crowned himself Emperor of France in 1804, Emperor Franz responded by institutionalizing his Austrian emperorship. The establishment of the Conferederation of the Rhine under the auspices of France led to the disintegration of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806. Franz II of the House of Habsburg renounced the Imperial crown and continued to rule as the Austrian Emperor Franz I. 

In his subsequent campaigns Napoleon inflicted devastating defeats upon Austria and even conquered Vienna twice. Archduke Carl's victory over the Corsican at the Battle of Aspern had shown, however, that Napoleon was not invincible. 

The Congress of Vienna, presided over by the Austrian State Chancellor Prince Clemens Wenzel Lothar Metternich, the "Coachman of Europe." restored the old order in Europe. 

The first half of the 19th century was marked by immense technical progress. Originating in Britain, the steam engine conquered various sectors of industry. The railway radically changed the transporation system, and innovative machinery led to the emergence of many new industries. The vast majority of the urban population worked in factories, and the working class came into being. 

THE MIDDLE CLASS REVOLUTION OF 1848 

Originating in France, the ideas of the middle-class revolution reached Austria in the spring of 1848. The liberals demanded a constitution and freedom of the press. Metternich's hated police state was swept away, and Metternich himself resigend and fled to England. In October 1848, however, the revolt was suppressed, and the conservatives made a clean sweep. 

The successor to Emperor Ferdinand, young Franz Joseph I, established a neo-absolutist system. His dubious policy of neutrality during the Crimean War (1854-1856) led Austria into a dangerous isolation within Europe. Thus it had to face Sardinia, which was in alliance with France and supported the Italian independence movements, alone. After the defeats at Magenta and Solferino in 1859 Austria was compelled to give up Lombardy and at the same time to yield to internal demands for a parliamentary institution. It did so by issuing the October Diploma and the February Patent. 

AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN DUAL MONARCHY 

As regards domestic policy, in consequence of the defeat by Prussia, Austria had to seek reconciliation with Hungary, whose rebellion in 1848/49 had been brutally suppressed with Russian help. In 1867 Hungary became an equal member within a confederation which was held together by the person of the ruler and explicitly defined common functions: foreign policy, finance and military affairs. 

The long period of peace which lasted until the First World War was safeguarded by a complicated system of alliances in Europe. Austria-Hungary had joined up with the German Empire and Italy to form the Triple Alliance. In addition to the smouldering European conflicts, growing nationalism led to severe tensions within the multinational Empire. The workers' justified demands for better pay and working conditions fit for human beings were another problem which remained to be solved. 


During these relatively quiet years, the Austrian economy underwent a process of rapid growth. The urban development of Vienna progressed apace. The spirit of the "Gründerzeit" age found expression in the newly constructed Ringstrasse in Vienna. Art and culture at the turn of the century paved the way for modernism. 

The assassination of the heir to the Austrian throne, Archduke Franz Ferndinand, on June 28, 1914, in Sarajevo was only the immediate occasion for the outbreak of the First World War. The European powers confronted each other in a futile slaughter which lasted four years. The outcome was decided when the United States entered the war. After the defeat of the Central Powers (Austria-Hungary, the German Empire and allied Turkey), the previous European order was shattered. The dual monarchy disintegrated into nation states. The remnants were to form the new Republic of Austria. 

REPUBLIC OF AUSTRIA

"THE STATE WHICH NOBODY WANTED" AUSTRIA 1918 - 1938 

One day after the last Austrian Emperor, Karl I, renounced the throne, the delegates of the provisional national assembly proclaimed the Republic of German- Austria and simultaneously union with Germany. After the peace treaty (the new republic insisted on the term "state treaty") was concluded, union with Germany was prohibited. The name of the country was concluded to be merely "Austria". The grievous loss of territory (South Tyrol and the Sudentenland) was to some extent offset by the acquisition of Western Hungary (today's Burgenland). The new republic found itself confronted with virtually insurmountable problems, especially economic ones. At first the successor nations refused to supply the most vital raw materials, so that Vienna's population was on the verge of famine. 

By the middle of the twenties, however, the Austrian government had succeeded in stabilizing the currency and establishing functioning beneficial economic relations with the neighboring states. 

The internal political situation, however, became more and more polarized; the various ideological camps opposed each other implacably. The parties set up paramilitary organisations, and the "Republikanischer Schutzbund" of the Social Democrats and the "Heimwehren" which were closely associated with the middle-class bloc, fought fierce street battles. The conflicts reached their first bloody climax when political assassins were inexplicably acquitted and the ensuing spontaneous demonstration was crushed in the most brutal manner. More than ninety people died. 

At the same time Austria began to feel the impact of the world-wide economic crisis. Hundreds of thousands of jobless made the political situation in Austria even more critical. More and more frequently the right-wing bloc demanded the establishment of an authoritarian regime, modelled after Italian fascism. 

Thus in 1933 Engelbert Dollfuss, who was Federal Chancellor at the time, used a minor impasse in parliamentary procedure to suspend Parliament itself and to establish an authoritarian corporative state. The ensuing political conflict within Austria - both the Social Democrats and the Nazis supported by Germany put heavy pressure on the Government - ended in a civil war and a coup d'état. In Febraury 1934 the Social Democrats attempted a revolt which was crushed mercilessly. A series of death sentences were passed. The workers were deprived of all opportunities for political activity. 

The abortive Nazi coup in July 1934, in the course of which Federal Chancellor Dollfuss was murdered, was put down; the putschists were tried before a military court. 

March 1938, German troops enter Vienna

The new Federal Chancellor, Kurt Schuschnigg, sought to maintain Austria as an independent nation by entering into an alliance with Italy and Hungary. However, the German Reich, which was already ruled by the Nazis and conducting a highly successful foreign policy, put more and more pressure on the Federal Chancellor. Schuschnigg's attempt to establish good relations with Germany in a private meeting with Hitler in February 1938 came to nothing.

THE EXTINCTION OF AUSTRIA 

Schuschnigg's Government made one last desperate attempt to maintain Austria's independence by calling for a plebiscite. The German Reich responded by setting ultimatums and with the invasion of German troops on March 12, 1938. By that time, however, a considerable number of Austrians had become adherents of Nazism. On March 13, 1938 Austria's Anschluss to the German Reich was completed, and on April 10 of the same year it was "legalized" by means of a plebiscite. The Ostmarkgesetz (1939) erased the occupied country as a national entity; the name of Austria was abolished. 

May 15, 1955, Fereign Minister Leopold Figl holding up the State Treaty. From left to right:   Llewellyn Thompson,  John Foster Dulles,  Antoine Pinay, Leopold Figl, Adolf Scharf,   Vyacheslav Molotov, Julius Raab,   Ivan Iljitschov

Shortly afterwards the Second World War broke out, and all able-bodied male Austrians were called up. Even before that, the Nuremberg Laws had been extended to Austria, which was a disaster for the Austrian Jews. Of the 185,250 Jews who lived in Austria in 1938, nearly 70,000 were killed in concentration camps, almost all the others had to flee for their lives.  They were not the only ones: many Austrians who joined the resistance movement against the Nazi regime ended up in prisons and death camps or were executed.

END OF THE WAR AND LIBERATION 

The resistance movements, which became more active toward the end of the war, established contact with the Allied troops which were advancing toward Austria to expedite the liberation of Austria. As early as April 27, 1945, the Provisional Government under Karl Renner declared Austria's independence. It made explicit reference to the Moscow Declaration of 1943 in which the restoration of an independent Austria had been specified as one of the war objectives of the Allies. The Allied troops which were advancing from the east, the south and the west divided the country into four zones of occupation. Although there were chaos and hunger throughout the country, the first free elections took place as early as November 1945. They ended with a clear majority for the democratic parties. Austria had once more become a nation which enjoyed the full loyalty of its citizens. 

A SOVEREIGN NATION AGAIN 

Apart from economic reconstruction, the main goal of the Austrian Government was the restoration of national sovereignty. Initial hopes for the prompt signing of a peace treaty were soon shattered by the East-West conflict and the beginning of the Cold War. The turning point came only when the Federal Chancellor of Austria, Julius Raab, took the initiative and introduced neutrality as a new element in the negotiations. This finally led to the breakthrough in the Moscow negotiations in April 1955. On May 15, 1955, the State Treaty was signed in Vienna's Baroque Belvedere Palace. 

On October 26, 1955, the Austrian Nationalrat enacted the Federal Constitutional Law on the permanent neutrality of Austria. In December of the same year Austria became a member of the United Nations, and in the following years it participated frequently in UN peace-keeping operations. Since 1979 Vienna has been one of the permanent seats of the United Nations. 

AUSTRIA JOINS THE EUROPEAN UNION 

Already in the 60s, the Austrian Government tried to link Austria more closely to the European Community. In 1967, Austria, a founding member of EFTA (European Free Trade Association), negotiated with the European Community but talks were broken off. 

In 1972, Austria signed free trade agreements with the European Community, thus abolishing all industrial tariffs. 

Almost a year and a half before the fall of the Iron Curtain, on July 17, 1989, Austria filed its application for full membership in the European Community, today's European Union. Shortly thereafter, Austria joined the other EFTA members in negotiations for a free trade area between the EFTA and EU countries, the so-called European Economic Area, which became effective on January 1, 1994. 

In 1991, the European Union had finally given green light for membership negotiations with Austria. After more than a year of intensive talks, the Austrians welcomed their results and Austria's adherence to the European Union through an overwhelming vote. 66,56 % of the population supported Austria's membership in the European Union. 

On January 1, 1995, Austria became a full member of the European Union together with Finland and Sweden. At the same time, Austria became an observer in the Western European Union, the military arm of the European Union. On February 10, 1995, Austria also joined NATO's "Partnership for Peace" program. 

As the first country of the new European Union member states, Austria assumed the rotary Presidency of the EU on July 1, 1998 for the second half of that year.