Lexi Webster
Austria was divided into four occupation zones after World War II, jointly occupied by the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, the United States, and France. This was due to Austria's involvement in the war as part of Hitlerite Germany, which saw over 1.3 million Austrians drafted between 1938 and 1945. The country was under joint occupation by the Western Allies and the Soviet Union until 1955, with Vienna also subdivided and its central district collectively administered.
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What You'll Learn
Austria's role in Nazi crimes
Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938, with the support of the Austrian population. The country was then an integral part of the Third Reich, with 700,000 people, or 10% of the population, joining the Nazi Party. More than 1.3 million Austrians were drafted into the Wehrmacht between 1938 and 1945, and many Austrians served loyally as soldiers, committing atrocities on the Eastern Front.
Austria's Jewish population numbered about 192,000 when the country was annexed. Between 1938 and 1940, approximately 117,000 Jews fled Austria, and by November 1942, only about 7,000 Jews remained in the country. Approximately 65,000 Austrian Jews were killed in the Holocaust, and thousands more were deported to concentration camps in Germany and occupied eastern Europe.
After World War II, Austria took steps towards denazification while under Allied occupation. However, these attempts were half-hearted, and the country used its stance as the first victim of Hitlerite Germany to deflect guilt and strengthen its position in negotiations. The "victim theory" insisted that even those Austrians who strongly supported Hitler had been unwilling victims of the Nazi regime and were therefore not responsible for its crimes. This myth began to unravel in the mid-1980s, and in 1991 and 1993, Austrian Chancellor Franz Vranitzky acknowledged the shared responsibility of Austrians for Nazi crimes.
In the 1990s, Austria began to address gaps and deficiencies in its post-war restitution and compensation programs, and legislative changes were made to provide social welfare benefits to Austrian victims of the Nazis. In 1998, the country initiated an art restitution program that covered art in federal, provincial, and municipal museums and institutions.
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Soviet occupation of Austria
The Soviet occupation of Austria began in June 1941 when Hitler's regime launched a genocidal war against the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union lost 26.6 million people during the war, with most estimates for military losses ranging between 11.4 and 14.6 million. In 1945, troops from the 3rd and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts approached Austria's border from Hungary. The fighting in Hungary was some of the most brutal of the war, with around 1 million troops suffering 484,300 losses, including 140,000 killed or captured.
On 29 March 1945, Soviet commander Fyodor Tolbukhin's troops crossed the former Austrian border. On 3 April, at the beginning of the Vienna Offensive, the Austrian politician Karl Renner established contact with the Soviets. On 20 April 1945, the Soviets instructed Renner to form a provisional government without consulting their Western allies.
The Soviet occupation policies in Austria were largely shaped by the Moscow Declaration of 1943, in which the British, Americans, and Soviets proclaimed that Austria was Germany's first victim, but that it would also have to pay the price for its participation in Nazi aggression. The Red Army occupied only parts of Austria, including the capital, while Anglo-American troops entered from Germany and Italy. Thereafter, France, Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union divided Austria into four occupation zones.
The Red Army suffered 94,185 casualties in Austria, with 26,006 killed and 68,179 wounded. Soviet troops engaged in systematic sexual violence against women, and repression against civilians harmed the Red Army's reputation. In September 1945, Moscow issued an order forbidding violent interrogations. The military occupation was deeply unpopular in Austria, and eastern Vienna lost about 11% of its population as people fled the Soviet zone.
Austria remained under joint occupation by the Western Allies and the Soviet Union until 1955. After Austrian promises of perpetual neutrality, Austria was granted full independence on 15 May 1955, and the last occupation troops left on 25 October that year.
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Austria's denazification
Denazification in Austria aimed to eradicate Nazi ideology and influence from all aspects of Austrian society, including politics, culture, the judiciary, and the economy. The process involved removing former Nazis from positions of power, disbanding Nazi-affiliated organisations, and prosecuting war criminals. However, it faced significant obstacles due to the high number of Austrians who had supported the Nazis. Approximately 10% of the population, or 700,000 people, had joined the Nazi Party, and over 1.3 million Austrians had been drafted into the Wehrmacht.
The initial stages of denazification were marked by a strong desire for thoroughness and accountability. However, the large number of Nazis involved made this impractical. Additionally, the onset of the Cold War shifted the priorities of the Allied powers, who became more concerned with maintaining civil peace and stability in Austria than with pursuing former Nazis. As a result, many Nazis were reintegrated into Austrian society under the pretext of democratic and economic necessity.
The Allied powers played a significant role in Austria's denazification, particularly in the early stages. From 1945 to 1950, they detained over 400,000 Germans in internment camps and held 90,000 Nazis in detention. However, their efforts were hampered by language barriers and a lack of trained personnel. The United States, influenced by the emergence of the Cold War and the economic importance of Germany, gradually lost interest in denazification efforts.
In summary, Austria's denazification was a complex and protracted process influenced by shifting political priorities, ideological conflicts, and the reconciliation of a society deeply implicated in Nazi crimes. While efforts were made to remove Nazis from positions of power and prosecute war criminals, the process was ultimately mild and incomplete, with many former Nazis reintegrating into Austrian society. The legacy of Austria's involvement with Nazism and its subsequent denazification efforts continue to shape the country's historical narrative and self-perception.
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Vienna's reconstruction
Vienna, the capital of Austria, was subjected to over 50 Allied bombing raids during World War II, which destroyed more than a fifth of the city's housing stock, leaving an estimated 80,000-87,000 apartments uninhabitable. The city also counted more than 3,000 bomb craters in the urban area, with many bridges, sewers, and gas and water pipes severely damaged.
In the immediate aftermath of World War II, Vienna, like the rest of Austria, was divided into four occupation zones and jointly occupied by the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, the United States, and France. The central district, known as the "Inter-allied Zone", was collectively administered by all four powers, with occupation forces rotating every month. The historical centre of Vienna was declared an international zone.
The first priority of the new Viennese government was to ensure welfare programmes for the young and elderly and to repair city-owned utilities and rebuild the city. This programme continued until the early 1960s. In 1946, the "Territorial Review Act" was passed, aimed at repealing the 1938 expansion of the city. However, approval by the Allied Occupation Forces was withheld for eight years, and the act did not come into effect until 1954.
The political context in Vienna during the postwar period was complicated. The Allied Occupation Forces refused to accept the Nazis' territorial expansion, and the districts that had existed until 1938 were divided into four Allied zones. The inner-city district, as mentioned, was collectively administered by all four powers. Districts 22-26, which had been merged with Vienna in October 1938, were considered part of Lower Austria and came under Soviet control.
The Soviet occupation of Vienna was marked by lawlessness and violence against the population. The Red Army suffered 94,185 casualties in Austria, with 26,006 killed and 68,179 wounded. Soviet troops engaged in systematic sexual violence against women, and repression against civilians harmed the Red Army's reputation. On 28 September 1945, Moscow issued an order forbidding violent interrogations, but this only marginally reduced the 'misbehaviour' of Soviet troops.
In the 1945 election, the Communist Party of Austria received a little over 5% of the vote, while the coalition of Christian Democrats (ÖVP) and Social Democrats (SPÖ) assumed control over the cabinet with 90% of the votes.
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Austria's independence
The Soviet Union's occupation of Austria began in June 1941, following Hitler's genocidal campaign against them. The Red Army suffered significant casualties in Austria, and their occupation policies were shaped by the Moscow Declaration of 1943, which acknowledged Austria as a victim of Nazi Germany but also held them accountable for their participation in aggression. The Soviets viewed Austrians as distinct from Germans, and their occupation aimed to eradicate Nazi influence and establish a communist presence.
The Western Allies, meanwhile, had a more nuanced approach. They recognised the need for denazification in Austria but also sought to counter the growing communist influence. The Austrian Socialist Party, Austrian People's Party, and Austrian Communist Party declared the "Anschluss" null and void, proclaiming Austrian independence in Vienna on April 27, 1945. However, their efforts at prosecuting former Nazis were lacklustre, and Austria's role as a victim of Nazi aggression was emphasised to strengthen their negotiating position.
The Cold War further complicated Austria's path to independence. The country became a subject of dispute between East and West, with the Soviet Union and Western Allies maintaining reduced but continued occupation forces. It was only after the death of Joseph Stalin and the Khrushchev Thaw that tensions eased. Austria's promise of perpetual neutrality paved the way for the Austrian State Treaty, and on May 15, 1955, the country regained full independence, with the last occupation troops departing on October 25 that year.
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Frequently asked questions
Austria was divided into four zones occupied by the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, the United States, and France because of its participation in Nazi aggression. Vienna was also subdivided, with the central district being collectively administered by all four powers.
The Moscow Declaration of 1943 was a proclamation by the British, Americans, and Soviets that Austria was Germany's first victim but was also culpable for its participation in Nazi aggression.
The Soviet Union suffered heavy casualties during the war with Germany, with 94,185 casualties in Austria alone. The Soviet occupation policies in Austria were largely shaped by the Moscow Declaration, and they occupied parts of the country, including Vienna.
