The Mystery Of Austria's Northern Neighbor: What Country Was It?

The history of Austria covers the history of Austria and its predecessor states. In the late Iron Age, Austria was occupied by people of the Hallstatt Celtic culture (c. 800 BC), who first organised as a Celtic kingdom referred to by the Romans as Noricum, dating from c. 800 to 400 BC. At the end of the 1st century BC, the lands south of the Danube became part of the Roman Empire. In the Migration Period, the 6th century, the Bavarii, a Germanic people, occupied these lands until it fell to the Frankish Empire established by the Germanic Franks in the 9th century. The name Ostarrîchi (Austria) has been in use since 996 AD when it was a margravate of the Duchy of Bavaria and from 1156 an independent duchy (later archduchy) of the Holy Roman Empire (962–1806).

Austria was dominated by the House of Habsburg and House of Habsburg-Lorraine from 1273 to 1918. In 1806, when Emperor Francis II of Austria dissolved the Holy Roman Empire, Austria became the Austrian Empire, and was also part of the German Confederation until the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. In 1867, Austria formed a dual monarchy with Hungary: the Austro-Hungarian Empire. When this empire collapsed after the end of World War I in 1918, Austria was reduced to the main, mostly German-speaking areas of the empire (its current frontiers), and adopted the name, the Republic of German-Austria. However, union with Germany and the chosen country name were forbidden by the Allies at the Treaty of Versailles. This led to the creation of the First Austrian Republic (1919–1933).

The country of Austria was once part of the Roman Empire

During the Migration Period, the 6th century, the Bavarii, a Germanic people, occupied these lands until it fell to the Frankish Empire established by the Germanic Franks in the 9th century. The name Ostarrîchi (Austria) has been in use since 996 AD when it was a margravate of the Duchy of Bavaria and from 1156 an independent duchy (later archduchy) of the Holy Roman Empire (962–1806).

The country of Austria was once part of the Holy Roman Empire

Austria was a vassal of the Holy Roman Empire and was ruled by the Habsburgs, who gained territory through inheritance and conquest. The Habsburgs became the major power bloc in the Holy Roman Empire, becoming the elected emperor nearly every time.

In 1804, Francis II proclaimed the Austrian Empire in response to Napoleon's declaration of the First French Empire. The Austrian Empire remained part of the Holy Roman Empire until the latter's dissolution in 1806.

In 1806, when Emperor Francis II of Austria dissolved the Holy Roman Empire, Austria became the Austrian Empire and was also part of the German Confederation until the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. In 1867, Austria formed a dual monarchy with Hungary: the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The Holy Roman Empire was a group of feudal principalities and princedoms that were initially vassals of the Holy Roman Emperor. Over time, the Holy Roman Empire became more decentralized, and the emperor was elected by the "Electors" of the HRE, who were a series of Princes that voted on the next emperor. The Holy Roman Empire derived its legitimacy from Charlemagne and the Pope.

The Austrian Empire was the third most populous monarchy in Europe after the Russian Empire and the United Kingdom, while geographically, it was the third-largest empire in Europe after the Russian Empire and the First French Empire.

The country of Austria was once part of the Austrian Empire

The Austrian Empire was a single state, although the overarching structure and the status of its component lands at first stayed much the same as they had been under the composite monarchy. The Austrian Empire was the third most populous monarchy in Europe after the Russian Empire and the United Kingdom. It was geographically the third-largest empire in Europe after the Russian Empire and the First French Empire.

The Kingdom of Hungary was administered by its own institutions separately from the rest of the empire. The Austrian Empire was the main beneficiary from the Congress of Vienna in 1815 and it established an alliance with Britain, Prussia, and Russia forming the Quadruple Alliance. The Austrian Empire was the leading member of the German Confederation.

The Austrian Empire was dissolved in 1866 following the Austro-Prussian War. The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 was adopted, joining the Kingdom of Hungary and the Empire of Austria to form Austria-Hungary.

The country of Austria was once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire

The Empire was formed following the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, which resulted in the dissolution of the German Confederation and the exclusion of Austria from German affairs. The Empire was created through the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, which gave Hungary full internal autonomy and a responsible ministry, in exchange for the Empire remaining a single great state for purposes of war and foreign affairs. The Emperor, Franz Joseph, thus surrendered his domestic prerogatives in Hungary, including his protection of the non-Magyar peoples, in exchange for the maintenance of dynastic prestige abroad.

The Empire was geographically the second-largest country in Europe and the third-most populous, and was one of Europe's major powers. It was known by a variety of names, including the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy, the Danubian Monarchy, and the Double Eagle. The Empire was a military and diplomatic alliance, with unified diplomatic and defence policies, and a common finance ministry responsible for financing the two "common" portfolios.

The Empire was divided into two parts: Cisleithania, the northern and western parts of the former Austrian Empire, and Transleithania, the Kingdom of Hungary. The Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia was an autonomous region under the Hungarian crown, and Bosnia and Herzegovina came under Austro-Hungarian joint military and civilian rule in 1878. The Empire was one of the Central Powers in World War I, which began with an Austro-Hungarian war declaration on the Kingdom of Serbia on 28 July 1914. The Empire was effectively dissolved by the time the armistice of Villa Giusti was signed on 3 November 1918.

The country of Austria was once part of Nazi Germany

Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938, in an event known as the Anschluss. The idea of a union between Austria and Germany, known as a "Greater Germany", had been around since the 19th century, but it gained support after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918. The new Republic of German-Austria attempted to form a union with Germany, but this was forbidden by the Treaty of Saint Germain and the Treaty of Versailles. The Allies also stripped Austria of some of its territories, such as the Sudetenland, leaving the country in an economic crisis.

By the 1920s, the idea of a union had strong support in both Austria and Germany, particularly among Austrian citizens of the political left and centre. The Social Democrat leader Otto Bauer was a prominent supporter of unification, believing that Austria, stripped of its imperial land, was not economically viable. However, popular support for unification faded with time.

After Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany in 1933, the desire for unification could be identified with the Nazis, for whom it was an integral part of the Nazi "Heim ins Reich" concept. Nazi Germany's agents cultivated pro-unification tendencies in Austria, and sought to undermine the Austrian government, which was controlled by the Austrofascist Fatherland Front and opposed unification. During an attempted coup in 1934, Austrian chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss was assassinated by Austrian Nazis. The defeat of the coup prompted many leading Austrian Nazis to go into exile in Germany, where they continued their efforts to unify the two countries.

In early 1938, under increasing pressure from pro-unification activists, Austrian chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg announced that there would be a referendum on a possible union with Germany versus maintaining Austria's sovereignty, to be held on 13 March. Portraying this as defying the popular will in Austria and Germany, Hitler threatened an invasion and secretly pressured Schuschnigg to resign. A day before the planned referendum, the German Army crossed the border into Austria on 12 March, unopposed by the Austrian military. A plebiscite was held on 10 April, in which the ballot was not secret, and threats and coercion were employed to manipulate the vote, resulting in 99.7% approval for the Anschluss. While the population's true opinions are unknown, it has been estimated that about 70% of Austrians would have voted to preserve Austrian independence.

Austria remained part of Germany until the end of World War II. A provisional government in Allied-occupied Austria declared the Anschluss "null and not void" on 27 April 1945. Henceforth, Austria was recognized as a separate country, although it remained divided into occupation zones and controlled by the Allied Commission until 1955, when the Austrian State Treaty restored its sovereignty.

Frequently asked questions