Austrian history dates back nearly 2,000 years, when Vindobona (Vienna) was an important Roman military garrison along the Danube. The city grew through the Middle Ages and in 788, the territory that is present-day Austria was conquered by Charlemagne, who encouraged the adoption of Christianity. In 976, Leopold von Babenberg became the first in his family to rule the territory; the Babenberg line of succession lasted until the death of Frederick II in 1246. There was a brief interregnum when the territory was ruled by Otakar II of Bohemia, but in 1276 Rudolf I defeated Otakar II at Dürnkrut and became the first Habsburg to ascend to the throne.
The Habsburg Empire
Although never unchallenged, the Habsburgs ruled Austria for nearly 750 years. Through political marriages, the Habsburgs were able to accumulate vast land wealth encompassing most of Central Europe and stretching even as far as the Iberian Peninsula. During the 16th Century, the Ottoman Empire gained strength and in 1529, the Ottoman army surrounded Vienna. The Habsburgs held their ground and the Ottomans retreated, to return again in 1683. This time, Vienna was successfully defended by Polish King Jan Sobieski III. To this day Austrians are still proud of defending their territory from the invading Ottomans.
Habsburg rule in Europe was particularly unsettled in the 18th and 19th Centuries, when various wars were fought over their landholdings. Emperor Charles VI (1711-1740) and his daughter Maria Theresa (1740-1780) ruled the Empire during these tumultuous times. Maria Theresa was only able to take the throne as a result of the Pragmatic Sanction, which allowed a female to ascend when there was no male heir. She became a great reformer within the Empire, advocating many changes, most notably in the educational system. Maria Theresa’s son Josef II (1780-1790) continued many of her reforms and he himself has been described as an enlightened absolutist.
In 1848 Franz Josef I ascended to the throne and remained in power until his death in 1916. With a reign spanning from the Revolutions of 1848 to World War I, Franz Josef saw many milestones in Austrian history. The Compromise of 1867 allowed some minor sovereignty to the territory of Hungary and created what became known as the Dual Monarchy. Under the new system, Franz Josef remained the head of state (Emperor of Austria/King of Hungary), but the Hungarians were now permitted to have a parliament and legislate on their own.
The old Habsburg Empire slowly began to deteriorate in the beginning of the 20th Century. This deterioration culminated in the June 28, 1914, assassination of Archduke (and heir to the throne) Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophia. This incident sparked the beginning of World War I and assured the end to the Habsburg domination of Central Europe.
In 1919, the Treaty of St. Germain officially ended Habsburg rule and established the Republic of Austria. Modern Austria is made up of nine Provinces:- their capitals are shown in brackets - Upper Australia (Linz), Lower Austria (Sankt Polten), Carintha (Klagemfurt), Burgenland ((Eisenstadt), Salzburgland (Salzburg), Styria (Graz), Tyrol (Innsbruck), Vorarberg (Bregenc) and Vienna (Vienna). Which is also the capital city of Austria.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire played a decisive role in Central European history. It occupied strategic territory containing the southeastern routes to Western Europe and the north-south routes between Germany and Italy. Although present-day Austria is only a tiny remnant of the old empire it retains this unique position.
Soon after the Republic of Austria was created at the end of World War I it faced the strains of catastrophic inflation and of redesigning a government meant to rule a great empire into one that would govern only 6 million citizens. In the early 1930s worldwide depression and unemployment added to these strains and shattered traditional Austrian society. Resultant economic and political conditions led in 1933 to a dictatorship under Engelbert Dollfuss. In February 1934 civil war broke out and the Socialist Party was outlawed. In July a coup dâetat by the National Socialists failed but Dollfuss was assassinated by Nazis. In March 1938 Austria was incorporated into the German Reich a development commonly known as the "Anschlussââ (annexation).
At the Moscow conference in 1943 the Allies declared their intention to liberate Austria and reconstitute it as a free and independent state. In April 1945 both Eastern- and Western-front Allied forces liberated the country. Subsequently Austria was divided into zones of occupation similar to those in Germany.
Under the 1945 Potsdam agreements the Soviets took control of German assets in their zone of occupation. These included 7% of Austria’s manufacturing plants 95% of its oil resources and about 80% of its refinery capacity. The properties were returned to Austria under the Austrian State Treaty. This treaty signed in Vienna on May 15 1955 came into effect on July 27 with Austria declaring its permanent neutrality, and under its provisions all occupation forces were withdrawn by October 25 1955. Austria became free and independent for the first time since 1938.
Thanks to its location near the “Iron Curtain”, Austria soon developed into a nerve centre between the West and the East. After the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and the 1968 Prague Spring Invasion, Austria grants asylum to the refugees. Austria is also host country of many international organisations (UNO, OPEC) as well as host of many important conference and summit meetings. The Iron Curtain fell in 1989/90; in 1995 Austria becomes a member of the European Union.
