Leslie Massey
Austria's involvement in World War I and World War II is a complex topic. In World War I, Austria-Hungary, with encouragement from Germany, declared war on Serbia in 1914, which marked the beginning of the global conflict. In World War II, Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938, with significant support from Austrians, and became an integral part of the Third Reich. However, after World War II, the Allies and the Soviet Union occupied Austria, and it was declared independent from Nazi Germany in 1945, with full independence achieved in 1955.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| World War I | Austria-Hungary invades Serbia in July 1914, declaring war on Russia and joining the Central Powers |
| World War II | Austria is annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938, with support from Austrians; it is later liberated by the Allies and declared independent in 1945 |
| Soviet Occupation | The Soviet Union occupies Austria after World War II, extracting reparations and seizing control of Austrian oil fields |
| Cold War | Austria remains under joint occupation by Western Allies and the Soviet Union until 1955, when it regains full independence |
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What You'll Learn
Austria-Hungary's involvement in World War I
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was a constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed by two sovereign states, Austria and Hungary, with a single monarch, who was titled both Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. Austria-Hungary was one of the Central Powers in World War I, alongside the German Empire and the Ottoman Empire.
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife on June 28, 1914, in Sarajevo, is considered the trigger for World War I. The assassin, 19-year-old Serbian-backed terrorist Gavrilo Princip, was a member of the Bosnian Serb group, the Black Hand, which opposed Austrian rule. Austria-Hungary, with encouragement and support from Germany, responded to the assassination by declaring war on Serbia on July 28, 1914, marking the start of World War I.
Austria-Hungary's initial military efforts were focused on invading Serbia, while also engaging the formidable Imperial Russian Army. The invasion of Serbia in 1914 was a costly failure, resulting in significant casualties for the Austro-Hungarian Army. However, with heavy aid from its allies, the Central Powers defeated the Serbian Army in 1915 and occupied Serbia. Austria-Hungary also faced battles on multiple fronts, including Italy, Romania, and the Eastern Front. The Italians seized Gorizia in a counteroffensive, leading to a period of trench warfare. As the Russian Empire collapsed due to the Bolshevik Revolution, the Germans and Austrians were able to redeploy forces to other fronts. With decisive German support, the Austrians launched a successful attack at Caporetto in October 1917, advancing towards Venice.
By 1918, the Austro-Hungarian government sought a general peace and proposed a conference on neutral territory, but this was rejected by the United States. As the war progressed, the empire began to disintegrate, with various regions declaring independence. On November 3, 1918, Austria-Hungary signed the Armistice of Villa Giusti, agreeing to evacuate occupied territories and end its involvement in World War I. The empire was officially dissolved in 1918, with the Kingdom of Hungary and the First Austrian Republic recognized as its successors.
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Austria's alliance with Germany
Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938, with the support of the Austrian population. Austria was then considered an integral part of the Third Reich, with over 10% of the population joining the Nazi Party. During World War I, Austria-Hungary was one of the Central Powers, along with the German Empire and the Ottoman Empire. The two nations first formed an alliance in 1879, known as the Austro-German Alliance, or the Dual Alliance. This pact promised mutual support in the event of an attack by Russia, and neutrality in the event of aggression by any other power.
The alliance was formed by German chancellor Otto von Bismarck, who saw it as a way to prevent Germany's isolation and preserve peace, as Russia would be unlikely to wage war against both empires. The addition of Italy in 1882 turned the alliance into the Triple Alliance. This treaty provided that Germany and Austria-Hungary would assist Italy if attacked by France, without Italian provocation, and Italy would assist Germany if Germany was attacked by France. In the event of a war between Austria-Hungary and Russia, Italy promised to remain neutral.
The alliance was an important element of both German and Austro-Hungarian foreign policy until 1918, and was renewed periodically until World War I, despite Italy's conflicting interests with Austria-Hungary in the Balkans region. In 1915, Italy entered the war in opposition to Germany and Austria-Hungary, despite having been part of the Central Powers in 1914. During World War I, Austria-Hungary fought alongside Germany against the Allies in Serbia, on the Eastern Front, in Italy, and in Romania. With aid from Germany and the Ottoman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire managed to occupy Serbia in 1915 and force Romania out of the war in 1917. However, the Italians switched sides in 1915, joining the Entente powers in the hopes of gaining territory from Austria-Hungary.
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Soviet occupation of Austria
During World War II, Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany and was considered an integral part of the Third Reich. In 1941, the Soviet Union agreed on the restoration of Austria as an independent state within its pre-1938 boundaries. However, it was not until 1945 that the Soviet troops, along with American, British, and French forces, occupied Austria. The Soviet Union treated Austria as a defeated Axis power but also acknowledged that it was a victim of Nazi Germany's aggression.
The Soviet occupation of Austria lasted from 1945 to 1955. During this period, Vienna, the capital, was divided into zones of occupation by the victorious Allies. The western suburbs of Vienna were split between the British, American, and French sections, while the Soviet Union occupied the eastern part of the city. The historical center of Vienna was collectively administered by all four Allies, with occupation forces changing every month.
The Soviet occupation of Austria had a significant impact on the country. Local governments were burdened with the task of feeding and clothing the Red Army. Additionally, the Soviet Union deployed NKVD (secret police) teams to extract reparations through seizures and confiscations of industrial and production facilities. The occupation costs further strained Austria's resources, with 30% of the national budget in June 1946 going towards these expenses. It is estimated that Austria paid the Soviet Union approximately 36.8 billion Schillings, or two percent of its accumulated GDP, during the occupation.
The Soviet troops' conduct during the occupation was not without controversy. While they were instructed to respect Austrian civilians and their traditions, families, and private property, there were reports of systematic sexual violence against women and repression against civilians. The Red Army's reputation was harmed by these incidents, leading Moscow to issue an order forbidding violent interrogations in September 1945.
The Soviet occupation of Austria became a controversial subject during the Cold War, and it was only after the Khrushchev Thaw that relations improved. Austria was granted full independence on May 15, 1955, after promising perpetual neutrality, and the last occupation troops departed on October 25 of that year.
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Austria's role in World War II
Austria played a complex and multifaceted role in World War II. On the one hand, a significant number of Austrians actively supported Nazi Germany and participated in the Nazi war machine. On March 12, 1938, German troops, accompanied by Hitler himself, entered Austria, and the country was annexed by Nazi Germany. This annexation, known as the Anschluss, was met with enthusiasm by most Austrians, and many actively collaborated with the Nazi regime. During World War II, 950,000 Austrians fought for the Nazi German armed forces, and others participated in the Nazi administration, including senior Nazi leadership and death camp personnel. Austrian Nazis like Hermann Neubacher and Lothar Rendulic held important positions in the Nazi hierarchy, and the majority of bureaucrats who implemented the Final Solution were Austrian.
However, it is important to note that not all Austrians supported the Nazis. A minority of Austrians resisted the Hitler regime and actively fought against it. The Austrian resistance was small but not negligible, and it consisted of left-wing groups (mostly communists and some socialists) and conservative resisters (mainly Christian Socialists and monarchists). During the war, tens of thousands of Austrians were arrested for political reasons, and many died in concentration camps or were executed. Additionally, a number of Austrians fought as Allied soldiers against the German army. The Austrian historian Helmut Konrad estimates that out of a population of 6.8 million in 1938, there were around 100,000 Austrian opponents to the regime who were convicted and imprisoned.
The period leading up to World War II also saw a significant change in Austria's Jewish population. In 1938, Austria had a Jewish population of about 192,000, but by December 1939, their number had decreased to 57,000 due primarily to emigration. The Viennese events during Kristallnacht in November 1938, which included pogroms against Jewish people and property, demonstrated the virulence of antisemitism in Austria. The degradation and expulsion of the Austrian Jewish community became known as the "Viennese model," which the Nazis later used as a blueprint for their expulsion of Jews from Germany and German-occupied countries.
In the post-war period, Austria's role in World War II was a subject of debate and disagreement. Many Austrians sought comfort in the myth of Austria as the first victim of Nazi Germany, and the country did not undergo the same thorough process of denazification as post-war Germany. While some attempts were made to prosecute former Nazis, they were often half-hearted, and many perpetrators were reintegrated into Austrian society. It was not until the mid-1980s and the 1990s that Austria began to acknowledge its shared responsibility for Nazi crimes and confront its complicity in the war.
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Austria's independence
During World War I, Austria was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which found itself embroiled in a global conflict through a series of alliances and counter-alliances. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, in June 1914, served as a catalyst for the war. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, which was backed by Russia. This triggered a chain reaction, with Germany declaring war on Russia and France, and Great Britain joining in support of Belgian neutrality when German troops crossed into Belgium. The conflict expanded beyond Europe, with Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire siding with Austria-Hungary and Germany, while Italy, Montenegro, Romania, and Greece joined the Entente forces. The Austro-Hungarian Empire played a relatively passive diplomatic role in the war, dominated and controlled by Germany, and ultimately suffered severe casualties and collapse on multiple fronts.
In the lead-up to World War II, Austria underwent significant political changes. In 1938, Nazi Germany annexed Austria with the support of a substantial portion of the Austrian population. This annexation, known as the Anschluss, resulted in Austria being considered an integral part of the Third Reich. Many Austrians joined the Nazi Party, and hundreds of thousands fought as German soldiers during the war.
During World War II, Austria was occupied by the Allies, and on April 27, 1945, it was declared independent from Nazi Germany. However, the country remained under joint occupation by the Western Allies and the Soviet Union until 1955. Vienna, the capital, was liberated by Soviet troops in April 1945, and a provisional government was established. The Soviet Union treated Austria as a defeated Axis power but also acknowledged its role as a victim of Nazi aggression. The country was divided into four occupation zones, with Vienna being collectively administered by the Allied Control Council. The occupation came with significant costs and reparations, impacting Austria's economy and infrastructure.
Finally, on May 15, 1955, after promises of perpetual neutrality, Austria regained its full independence, and the last occupation troops departed on October 25 of that year. This marked the end of a lengthy and challenging road to independence, allowing Austria to emerge as a sovereign nation once again.
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Frequently asked questions
Austria was part of the Central Powers during World War I, along with the German Empire and the Ottoman Empire. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia in July 1914, which led to Russia's support of Serbia and subsequent declaration of war on Austria-Hungary.
Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938 and was considered an integral part of the Third Reich. However, in 1943, the Allies agreed to regard Austria as the first victim of Nazi aggression and treated it as a liberated and independent country after the war.
After World War II, Austria was divided into four occupation zones and jointly occupied by the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, the United States, and France. Vienna, the capital, was also subdivided among the four Allies. Austria remained under joint occupation until 1955, when it was granted full independence after promising perpetual neutrality.
