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From its emergence out of the ashes of World War II through to the economic and political challenges of today, Austria has embodied many of the contradictions of recent European history. Written by one of the nation’s leading historians, this account of postwar Austria explores the tensions that have defined it for over seven decades, whether in its overlapping policies of engagement and isolationism, its grandiose visions and persistent sense of inferiority, or its position as a model social democracy that has suffered recurrent bouts of xenophobic nationalism. This newly revised edition also addresses the major developments since 2005, including a resurgent far right, economic instability, and the potential fracturing of the European Union.
Praise for the first edition:
“A tour de force combining historical insight, political analysis, personal opinion, skillful prose, and visual metaphor to map a pathway through Austria’s recent past.” • The Journal of Modern History
“The author's analysis is balanced and frequently insightful, and his concluding chapter looking at future trends is particularly interesting.” • Choice
“A fine and powerful book with many new insights…fills a major gap in the literature and deserves to be read widely.” • European History Quarterly
Chapter 1. Austrian Identity: Between National Pride, Solipsism and European Patriotism
Chapter 2. Peculiarities of Austrian Democracy
Chapter 3. ‘Austria Can Beat Everything, If It Only Wants To’: Myth and Reality of Austrian Economic Policy since 1945
Chapter 4. Ten Chancellors, and Not One a Woman
Chapter 5. The Newspaper Tycoons of the Second Republic
Chapter 6. Neutrality and the State Treaty in a New Europe
Chapter 7. ‘Alles Walzer...’: The Politics of Art and Culture as the Early Second Republic’s Elixir of Life
Chapter 8. The Austrian Model of the Welfare State and Intergenerational and Intergender Contracts since 1945
Chapter 9. The Shadow of the Past
Chapter 10. Austria’s Political Future: Some Trends
Bibliography
Index