Exactly 70 years ago, on May 15, 1955, the Austrian state treaty was signed in Vienna. It is considered essential for the development of an independent consciousness of Austria. The Graz historian Peter Ruggenthal was convinced in the “Krone” conversation that our neutrality was perfect today and that the Alpine Republic no longer had to be prescribed by Moscow.
Ten years after the liberation and occupation of Austria in 1945, the Soviet Union, the United States, Great -Britain and France, voted a contractual contract in that was binding under international law, which restored the state and sovereignty of Austria. Already in 1943 the “Big Three” (still without France) had decided at the Moscow Moscow Conference to Restore Austria as a state. In the “explanation of Moscow” the Austrians also made it clear that they would be measured on the basis of their own contribution to liberation of the Nazi rule.
Krone.at: Why did Austria represent a special case in this context?
Peter Ruggenthaler: As Germany, Austria was occupied by all four allies, but was not one of the enemy countries. Nevertheless, Austria was not a friend of the country. From an international perspective, it therefore needed an internationally valid “state contract” to restore Austria as a state.
Krone.at.: However, the contract negotiations of the State only started a year and a half after the end of the war.
Peter Ruggenthaler: This was the case because the fate of Germany and the peace treaties with the militarily defeated states had a priority. Today we know that Moscow was not interested in a rapid troop deduction from Oost -Astenrijk.
Because the presence of the Red Army also secured their station in Hungary and Romania – officially to deliver the crew troops in Austria. This was a thorn in the side of the Americans, but their attempts to give this regulation failed. Another obstacle was the regional claims of Yugoslav on Carinthia, which were initially supported by the USSR. After the group of Titos with Stalin 1948, this support weakened. The “Article 7” of the State Convention was established as a diplomatic compromise, which guaranteed the rights of the Slovenian and Croatian minorities.
In 1949 the path to the conclusion of the contract seemed free, but even in the west a mess deduction was no longer out of doubt. West -Astenrijk had long been involved in the West of the Strategy for Military Defense. In 1949 the US President Truman decided to end up with a conclusion of the state contract under the best possible conditions. In Moscow, however, it was made clear that people were not interested in a quick conclusion.
Krone.at.: Why was the Kremlin not ready to reveal Austria?
Peter Ruggenthaler: Economic interests (oil finds, Soviet companies) and strategic reasons spoke against a deduction. With the Korean war in 1950, Stalin eventually blocked the negotiations. Especially in this phase, the KPö represented a neutrality solution that was considered publicly considered a communist. In the “ice age” of the Cold War in 1950/51, the big forces were only busy assigning each other’s fault. At the beginning of 1952 the Western Powers took the initiative, but Stalin prevented substantial negotiations. The Americans worked a “short contract” that Austria would have made a free choice of the Alliance after the troop deduction – that of course refused Moscow. With the “Stalin Note”, Moscow attracted Germany with neutrality, but something just a tactical maneuver to fully integrate the GDR into the eastern block.
Krone.at: How did the neutrality solution come about?
Peter Ruggenthaler: The Austrian politicians realized that they could not do anything against global political constellation and that it was not in the mood to rely on Washington almost exclusively. A circle around Julius Raab in the ÖVP suggested the path of Finnish Prime Minister Kekkonen: a neutralization solution without transforming Austria into a “popular democracy”.
It remains unclear whether Stalin once gave his permission for a deduction. After his death in 1953, the new Soviet leadership granted lighting in daily occupation. It was not until the beginning of 1955 that Khroosjsjov went through the offensive and invited the Austrian government in Moscow. The magical word was neutrality. In the Moscow Memorandum it was agreed that Austria would decide on the freedom of the Allies after deduction of the Allies.
Moscow hoped to bring a neutral Austria in a stronger (economic) dependence on the Soviet Union and saw neutrality as a provisional stage for socialism. Above all, the Austria should permanently separate from Germany. The road to the state contract was eventually decided in Moscow, with neutrality as a prize for freedom. Today after 70 years the Austrian neutrality is perfect. Austria no longer has to be prescribed by Moscow, it can determine its foreign policy itself. Vienna no longer has to take into account whether Russia is opposite the head if it rightly criticizes the Kremlin.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
