The Centenary of the Founding of the Republic of Austria

Austria celebrates the 100th anniversary of its founding on November 12, 2018. The military defeat in World War I resulted in the break-up of the Habsburg monarchy and the creation of an independent, much smaller state. The same day the new republic was proclaimed by parliament, women were granted general and equal suffrage, a critical step towards gender equality.

As the Republic of Austria celebrates these positive events, it also commemorates more tragic moments in its history, in particular the “Anschluss” of Austria to Hitler Germany in March 1938 and the subsequent November pogroms of Jews, exactly 80 years ago. A majority of Austrians welcomed Adolf Hitler and more than 200,000 were cheering when he proclaimed the "Anschluss" of Austria to the "German Reich" on the “Heldenplatz” in the center of Vienna. Violent antisemitic acts followed immediately in the weeks after the “Anschluss”. Unfortunately, this was only the beginning of the horrors of World War II.

Two other noteworthy anniversaries are being remembered this year: 1948, when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the UN General Assembly; and 1968, the year of the "Prague Spring", which shed light on the fragility of the Soviet empire, eventually leading to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

As the former Austrian president Dr Heinz Fischer puts it: “All of these events are linked to and influence each other. It is important to know history in order to better understand these connections and, most importantly, you have to know the history of your own country in order to detect worrisome developments early.”

Today, Austria, like many other European countries, is experiencing a resurgence of nationalistic right-wing tendencies while dealing with the constant flow of migrants from Africa and the Middle-East. The current chancellor Sebastian Kurz from the ÖVP (Österreichische Volkspartei) formed a coalition government with the FPÖ (Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs), a party on the right edge of the political spectrum. The fact that Austria recently rejected the UN Migration Pact moves the country further to the right margins of the European Union and distances Austria from its partners in the international community. This is a regrettable and dangerous development, particularly in the light of this year’s commemoration and reflection.

More info at: https://www.oesterreich100.at