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a short history of Austria

Brief History of Austria

There's evidence that the territory of today's Austria was inhabited during pre-Roman times by several Celtic tribes. Most of Austria was part of the Roman Empire, and when the empire collapsed the area was invaded by Bavarians, Avars and Slavs. In the year 788, Charlemagne conquered the area and encouraged colonization and Christianity.

The first record ever which mentioned the name Austria appeared in 996. In 1156, the country became a duchy. When Frederick II, the last of the rulers from the line of Babenbergers, died, Austria came under the rule of Otakar II of Bohemia. He ruled until the year 1278, when he was defeated and the country conquered by Rudolf I of Germany. From then on until the First World War, Austria was ruled by the dynasty of Habsburgs, who started accumulating other provinces in the 14th and 15th Centuries.

In the year 1438, Emperor Sigismund was succeeded by his son-in-law Albert V of Austria. After his rule, which was quite short, every emperor to follow was a Habsburg, with one exception. Through several marriages, the dynasty of the Habsburgs managed to gather more land in Spain, Italy, and even in Africa and the New World. In 1526, after the Battle of Mohacs, Austria expanded its territory over Bohemia and part of Hungary. Later, when Ottoman expansion reached the area, the two powers entered into several conflicts which led to the Long War during 1593 - 1606. The culmination of the conflict between the Habsburgs and the Ottoman Empire was reached during the reign of Leopold I. In 1683, Vienna was successfully defended and after many campaigns, Hungary was returned to Austria with the Treaty of Carlowitz, which was signed in 1699. Unfortunately for Austria, the country relinquished many of these gains under the rule of Emperor Charles VI. Some years later, Austria became engaged in a war with France. This war was not successful for Austria, and soon Napoleon had defeated and actually ended the Holy Roman Empire in 1806.

Some two years before the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire, the Empire of Austria was formed, later to be transformed into the dual monarchy Austria-Hungary. When the Napoleonic Wars ended, the 1815 Congress of Vienna named Austria as one of the four dominant powers on the continent, along with Prussia, Russia and France. The same year saw the founding of the German Confederation with the help of Austria and Prussia. Due to social and political conflicts, part of the German tribes organized a revolution in order to form a unified Germany. Three options were possible for the formation of a new German Empire, a Greater Germany, a Greater Austria or a German Confederation without Austria taking part in it. As Austria wasn't willing to give up its German territories, it grew out of Germany and made room for Prussia. Austria and Prussia fought together against Denmark in 1864, aiming to free the independent duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. Later, they couldn't agree on the administration of these duchies, and this resulted in the Austro-Prussian War.

In 1867, the Austro-Hungarian Compromise was signed, which provided for dual sovereignty of the empire of Austria and the kingdom of Hungary, ruled by Franz Joseph I until the end of 1916. Besides Austrians and Hungarians, there were many diverse groups in the empire, such as Slavs, Poles, Ukrainians, Czechs, Slovaks, Slovenes, Croats, Serbs, Italians and Romanians. With World War I came the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, leading to the downfall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The country was in chaos, and when the Empire collapsed, Austria became a republic, while the other territories turned into independent states. Many German Austrians, however were left outside the borders of the new republic. Besides people, Austria also lost part of the Tyrol area, which was given to Italy as a prize for their being on the Allied side. This first Austrian Republic lasted until the year 1933, when Chancellor Engelert Dollfus established an autocratic regime directed towards Italian fascism. This led to a civil war, and in May of 1934 the Fascists presented a new constitution. It wasn't long after that that Engelert Dollfus was assassinated, to be followed by a successor who struggled to keep the country independent. This struggle was not successful, either. In 1938, German troops invaded the country and Hitler incorporated Austria into the Third Reich. This situation lasted until the Third Reich collapsed in 1945. When the war ended, Austria was divided into a French, a British, a Soviet and an American Zone, and governed by the Allied Commission of Austria. Ten years later, in 1955, Austria gained its full independence and declared itself permanently neutral, which remains valid to this day. The Second Republic of Austria was ruled by the Proporz System, which meant that all political posts were split evenly between members of the local Labour Party and the Conservatives. In 1995, Austria became part of the European Union, retaining its neutrality but adopting the Euro currency.

This first Austrian Republic lasted until the year 1933, when Chancellor Engelert Dollfus established an autocratic regime directed towards Italian fascism. This led to a civil war, and in May of 1934 the Fascists presented a new constitution. It wasn't long after that that Engelert Dollfus was assassinated, to be followed by a successor who struggled to keep the country independent. This struggle was not successful, either. In 1938, German troops invaded the country and Hitler incorporated Austria into the Third Reich. This situation lasted until the Third Reich collapsed in 1945. When the war ended, Austria was divided into a French, a British, a Soviet and an American Zone, and governed by the Allied Commission of Austria. Ten years later, in 1955, Austria gained its full independence and declared itself permanently neutral, which remains valid to this day. The Second Republic of Austria was ruled by the Proporz System, which meant that all political posts were split evenly between members of the local Labour Party and the Conservatives. In 1995, Austria became part of the European Union, retaining its neutrality but adopting the Euro currency.