Thursday, June 17, 2010

Austrian Democracy.

The obituary of the Archduke Rudolph, (published in theTimes on 15 / 06 / 2010) refers to the abortive proposal made in 1943 to raise an Austrian regiment to support the Allies in World War II. Unfortunately it was dropped, due, apparently, to opposition from a leading Austrian Socialist. The irony is that this veto was unnecessary, and it made much more difficult Karl Renner's task two years later to revive Austria as an independent, sovereign republic. As it happened, hardly anyone in 1943 seriously thought that there was any prospect of a Habsburg return to power. On the contrary, the evidence showed that both the Emperor, Karl, and his last Minister-President, Heinrich Lammasch, had worked hard to prepare for the transfer of government to the emerging German Austrian state. Indeed Karl himself had issued the Manifesto of 16 / 10 / 1918, granting self-government to all parts of the former Dual Monarchy outside Transleithania ("Greater Hungary"), and followed this on 11 / 11 / 1918 by "withdrawing from government," so allowing the declaration of the new Republic on 12 / 11 / 1918.

Heinrich Lammasch continued his work with the new state, and attended the Peace Conference at Versailles in 1919, signing the Treaty of St. Germain as one of the German Austrian representatives. It is clear that that he cooperated closely with both Karl Renner, the Chancellor and Otto Bauer, the Foreign Minister.

Significantly, even in the years before the Anschluss of 1938, when Engelbert Dollfuss and his successor, Kurt Schuschnigg, ran an authoritarian regime, neither made any real effort to restore the Habsburgs. By 1943 it was clear that the only realistic hope of reviving an independent Austrian state lay in ensuring an Allied victory over Nazi Germany. Two years later Karl Renner led the successful bid to restore the Republic, despite the doubts and suspicions of the Western Allies, but , curiously, with the support of Stalin and the Soviet Union. The stench of suspicion, that Austria had been an accomplice of the Nazis, rather than a victim, took a long time to dispel. Only in 1955, five years after Karl Renner's death, was a peace treaty signed with the Austrian state.

It is many years since the Archduke Otto, the eldest son of the last Emperor, became a citizen of the Republic, pursuing an academic career and taking an active role in what is now the
European Union. It was unfortunate that the late Archduke Rudolph failed to agree with fellow exiles in making common cause by forming an Austrian force to help the Allies.

Since 1945 the Austrian Republic has achieved a great deal and earned much international respect. Such leaders as Bruno Kreisky, Thomas Klestil, Wolfgang Schussel, Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Heinz Fischer have proved impressive. Despite the intermittent fears, triggered by the antics of the small ultra right-wing Freedom Party, it is clear that Austria remains firmly democratic and responsible.

Michael B. Buck.