euro|topics - Austria commemorates 1938

05/07/2009

English
Deutsch
Français

Main focus of Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Austria commemorates 1938

During a ceremony organised by the conservative ÖVP to commemorate the Austrian "Anschluss" or annexation of Austria into Greater Germany by the Nazi regime on 12 March 1938, a speech delivered by Otto von Habsburg caused an uproar. Habsburg, the son of the last Austrian emperor, described Austria as a victim of Hitler's Germany and compared the rush on Vienna's Heldenplatz to a football match.

Der Standard - Austria

"We thought the matter had been cleared up for good. Then the ÖVP gave 95-year-old Otto Habsburg the opportunity to talk dangerous rubbish in parliament (!) to commemorate 1938," Hans Rauscher sums up yesterday's commemorations marking Austria's annexation. "Naturally the Austrians were partly to blame for the annexation. Among other things, because although the state leadership back then fought against the Nazis, it used weapons that guaranteed defeat. The 'great patriot' Dollfuß (Habsburg) destroyed the democracy and social democracy he would have needed to put up effective resistance. [Ex Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang] Schüssel corrected Habsburg after his speech, but Habsburger's playing down of the crimes ... which were greeted with laughter and wild applause by the ÖVP audience, shows how little has really been clarified." (12/03/2008)

Le Soir - Belgium

"Austria, since the end of the Second World War, continues to have the hardest time coming to terms with this dark period of its history. [For the commemoration of the Anschluss], however, the Austrian government has really tried to put an emphasis on the 'repentance' of a people for their active collaboration with the 3rd Reich, and the elimination of their elites. Despite these good intentions, the heart, apparently, is lacking", writes Maurin Picard, Vienna correspondent for the paper. "Is this because '60% of Austrians didn't live through the war' as Vienna's mayor Michael Haupl claims? Or because bringing up those hard times is still difficult for most people? ... For Austrian authorities, regularly accused of dragging their heels in paying reparations to Nazism's victims, and of letting known war criminals live in peace, the road to 'repentance' is still a long one." (12/03/2008)

Süddeutsche Zeitung - Germany

Michael Frank claims Austria has gained a new sense of self-confidence that enables it to deal better with its past: "The emotional process of Austria coming to respect itself as a nation was only completed a short time ago. Two further elements sustain the new self-confidence of what is today an illustrious little republic. Its immense economic success, the concept of Austria as a small, exquisite delicatessen among mass discounters, has propelled the country to the top of the list of rich countries. It has EU membership to thank for this. Strangely, unified Europe has a bad reputation with the Austrians, even though it's thanks to Europe that they can hold their own with anyone in the world today. ... Thanks to that Community of Equals, that toxic issue, the German question, has evaporated, and with it Austria's feelings of being too small and weak. It no longer needs its big brother - neither as a role model nor as a bogeyman." (12/03/2008)

» To the complete press review of Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Bookmark this page at