Austrian Vs German Dna: What Makes Them Different?

Austria and Germany are geographically close and share a common language. However, a genetic map of Europe based on Y-DNA haplogroups shows that the two countries have quite different Y-DNA groups. While southern Germany is thought to have a strong Celtic heritage, northern Germans are predominantly of Nordic descent. On the other hand, the genetic influence of the Slavs is more pronounced in most of Germany and Scandinavia. The Romans settled heavily in southern Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, and the southern Italian and Greek haplogroup J2 and E3b have been found across German-speaking countries, with the highest densities in the south.

Austrians and Germans have different Y-DNA groups despite both being German-speaking

Y-DNA haplogroups are groups of the male Y-chromosome found in European populations. These haplogroups are based on relevant studies of various ethnic and other notable groups from Europe. The samples are taken from individuals identified with the ethnic and linguistic designations shown in the first two columns of the studies. While Austrians and Germans have different Y-DNA groups, they share a history of speaking German.

Historically, Austrians were regarded as Germans and viewed themselves as such. The Austrian lands (including Bohemia) were part of the Holy Roman Empire and the German Confederation until the Austro-Prussian War in 1866, which resulted in Prussia expelling the Austrian Empire from the Confederation. Thus, when Germany was founded as a nation-state in 1871, Austria was not a part of it. The German-speaking area of Europe has always been a crossroad of various ethnic and cultural groups throughout history.

After the defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of World War II in Europe, the political ideology of pan-Germanism and the union with Germany became associated with Nazism, resulting in Austrians developing their own separate and distinct national identity. Today, the vast majority of Austrians do not identify as German.

The Austrian territory in the Roman era was divided into Raetia, Noricum, and Pannonia. Noricum was a Celtic kingdom, while the Pannonii were of Illyrian stock. The Raetians were an ancient alpine people probably akin to the Etruscans. During the Migration period (c. 6th century), these territories were settled by the Bavarians and other Germanic groups in the west (Alemanni in Vorarlberg, Lombards in Tyrol) and by Slavic groups (principality Carantania), Huns, and Avars in the east. In the 8th century, the former territories of Raetia and Noricum fell under Carolingian rule and were divided into the duchies of Swabia, Bavaria, and principality Carantania. Pannonia, until the end of the 8th century, was part of the Avar Khaganate.

The unification of the various territories of Austria outside of the March of Austria proper (i.e., parts of Bavaria, Swabia, and Carinthia) was a gradual process of feudal politics during the High and Late Middle Ages. The various populations of these territories were not unified under the single name of "Austrians" before the early modern period.

Austrians have historically spoken German

The origins of Austrian German can be traced back to the mid-18th century when Empress Maria Theresa and her son Joseph II introduced compulsory schooling and administrative reforms in their multilingual Habsburg Empire. Initially, the written standard was influenced by the Bavarian and Alemannic dialects of Austria. However, they ultimately adopted the already-standardized chancellery language of Saxony, which served as the administrative language of the non-Austrian area of Meißen and Dresden.

Austrian German differs from the German spoken in Germany and Switzerland in both vocabulary and grammar. For example, Austrians use Jänner for January instead of "Januar," and "Erdapfel" for potato instead of "Kartoffel." Additionally, the preterite (simple past) is rarely used in Austrian German, especially in spoken language.

In less formal situations, Austrians use Bavarian and Alemannic dialects, which are traditionally spoken but rarely written. The main dialect outside of Vorarlberg is Austro-Bavarian, which has approximately 8.3 million speakers in Austria. The northeastern parts of Austria, including Vienna, speak Central Austro-Bavarian dialects, while the southern parts speak Southern Austro-Bavarian dialects. These dialects differ significantly from Standard German, making it challenging for German speakers from other regions to understand.

Austria's multicultural history and geographical location have resulted in immigration from neighbouring countries

Austria's history of interaction and influence involves Celtic, Roman, Slavic, and Germanic peoples. The territory of present-day Austria was settled in the Migration Period (c. 6th century) by Bavarians and other Germanic groups, as well as Slavic groups, Huns, and Avars. The national character of the Austro-Bavarian-speaking majority population was influenced by their proximity to West Slavs (Czechs and Slovaks), South Slavs (Slovenes, Carinthian Slovenes, and Burgenland Croats), and Hungarians.

In addition to its multicultural history, Austria's geographical location has resulted in immigration from neighbouring countries. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, Austria experienced immigration from Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, and Poland. Similar to neighbouring Germany, Austria has also seen significant immigration from Turkey and former Yugoslav states such as Croatia and Serbia.

The country's diverse linguistic landscape has been influenced by its multicultural history and geographical location. While Austrian German is the dominant language, minority languages like Slovene, Croatian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and Romani are recognised and spoken in specific regions.

Austria's cuisine, music, and architecture also reflect its multicultural history and geographical location. Austrian cuisine, particularly in Vienna, has been influenced by Hungarian, Czech, Jewish, Italian, and Polish culinary traditions. During the Baroque period, Austrian music was influenced by Czech and Hungarian folk forms, and the country's architecture showcases a blend of Baroque, Romantic, and modern styles.

Austria's history of conquest and union with Germany

The ancestors of Austrians were the Germanic Baiuvarii (ancient German Bavarians). In the early history of the Baiuvarii, they established the Duchy of Bavaria, which was ruled by Francia of West Germanic Franks from 555 to 843 and included the March of Pannonia that would become Austria in c. 970. Later, the Bavarian Austria came under East Francia (Kingdom of Germany) from 843 to 962. It then separated from the Duchy of Bavaria to become a sovereign state in 1156, and from 1156 to 1806, Austria (not including its non-German lands) and other German states under the Kingdom of Germany were parts of the Holy Roman Empire, which was officially a German polity from 1512 and mostly led by Austria itself.

In 1804, Francis II, the Holy Roman Emperor, proclaimed the Austrian Empire, as the remaining German States had become clients of Napoleon's French Empire under the Confederation of the Rhine. After Napoleon's defeat in 1815, Austria created the German Confederation as a new organisation among the German States, in which Prussia and Austria became reunited. It was during this period that the ideology of Pan-Germanism started to rise. The German Confederation lacked a monarch or a central government with real unifying force. As a result, dualism within the German Confederation laid the foundation for diplomatic tension between Prussia and Austria, who had ambitions to create a unified Germany under their different proposals.

Austria proposed to unite the German states in a union centred on, and dominated by, the Habsburgs; Prussia, however, hoped to become the central force in unifying the German states and to exclude Austria out of its affairs. In 1834, Prussia succeeded in creating a German Customs Union with northern German states with the hope of political union as its next step. The tension eventually gave rise to the 1866 Austro-Prussian War (Fraternal War of the Germans). Otto von Bismarck, chancellor of Prussia, sided with Italy to surround Austria and bring about the latter's defeat. The Austrian Empire was dissolved into the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary, with the loss of their influence over southern German states (Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria).

In 1867, the new North German Confederation was declared by Bismarck. After Prussia's victory in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, in which the Prussian army entered and marched over Paris, Bismarck announced the creation of the German Empire and excluded Austria-Hungary solely in this unified Germany.

In 1918, after the end of World War I and with the fall of the Austro-Hungarian and German Empires, Austria briefly renamed itself the Republic of German-Austria in a bid for union with Germany; an action forbidden by the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919) created by the winners of World War I against both Germany and Austria.

In 1938, Nazi Germany, led by Austrian-born Adolf Hitler, annexed Austria into Germany in what would come to be called the Anschluss. Britain and France followed Appeasement and did not intervene. Hitler held a plebiscite a month later, claiming a 99% vote in favour of the Anschluss and his rule. The Anschluss was reversed in 1945, and Austria was occupied by the Allies separately from Germany until 1955.

In 1995, Austria joined the European Union (EU) and has since then shared the same currency and free border with Germany; however, while Germany is a member nation of NATO from 1955, Austria, in accordance with its strict constitutional requirement of neutrality, is not a NATO member.

Austrians' developing a separate and distinct national identity from Germans

Austrians have historically been regarded as Germans and viewed themselves as such. The Austrian lands, including Bohemia, were part of the Holy Roman Empire and the German Confederation until the Austro-Prussian War in 1866. However, when Germany was founded as a nation-state in 1871, Austria was not a part of it. The idea of grouping all Germans into one nation-state or "Greater Germany" gave way to a rapid rise of German nationalism within the German Confederation, especially in the two most powerful German states, Austria and Prussia.

After the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918 at the end of World War I, Austria briefly used the name the Republic of German-Austria in an attempt for union with Germany, but this was forbidden due to the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919). The First Austrian Republic was founded in 1919. However, the idea of uniting all ethnic Germans into one state began to be challenged with the rise of Austrian nationalism within the Christian Social Party, which identified Austrians on the basis of their predominantly Catholic religious identity, as opposed to the predominantly Protestant religious identity of the Prussians.

After World War II, both the political ideology of pan-Germanism and the union with Germany became associated with Nazism, resulting in Austrians developing their own separate and distinct national identity. Austrian nationalism emphasized a Catholic religious identity and the non-Germanic heritage of Austrian culture, including Celtic, Illyrian, Roman, Slavic, and Magyar influences. Today, the vast majority of Austrians do not identify as German, and over 90% see themselves as an independent nation.

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