CULTURE, SOCIETY & POLITICS IN THE
GERMAN-SPEAKING COUNTRIES- IRE214
 Fall 2019 Session 7: Introduction to Austria
Maya Hadar, PhD
 General information
 Conceptualizing
Austria
 Austrian Politics
Introduction to Austria2
The Republic of Austria
 Landlocked country in Central
Europe
 Bordered by the Czech Republic and
Germany (north), Slovakia and
Hungary (east), Slovenia and Italy
(south), and Switzerland and
Liechtenstein (west)
 83.87 sqkm (4 times smaller than
Germany)
 The name ‘Austria‘ is Germanic in origin
 Austriaca => ‘Eastern Borderland’ + Latinised form of the Old High
German name for the country, ‘Ostarreich‘ (eastern kingdom)
 Modern German => Österreich
 One of the wealthiest countries in the world
 Nominal per capita GDP of $51,511 (Dec 2018), slightly higher than
Germany (CR 37,370, Poland 15,424, Switzerland +82k)
 High standard of living
The Republic of Austria
 Austria is a Parliamentary Representative Democracy
 Heavily dominated by its capital, Vienna
 Largest city (population exceeding 1.9 million)
 Large Urban centers (>100k): Graz (439k), Linz (203k), Salzburg (152k),
Innsbruck (308k)
 The Welfare State => Austria provides a comprehensive system of social
security and welfare schemes
 Insurance, provides cover for all employed persons in cases of sickness,
accident, unemployment, parental leave
 Public welfare benefits to citizens in need, not covered by the insurance
system
The Republic of Austria
 Following the rejection of nuclear power by Austrian voters in a
referendum (1978), Austria renounced the use of nuclear energy => a
nonnuclear country
The Republic of Austria
 Austria is advocating the creation
of a nonnuclear Central Europe
 At the international level, Austria
strongly supports strengthening
the International Atomic Energy
Agency as a control instrument
Population =>
 Approximately 8.82 (2018) million inhabitants
 Most of the population speaks German, which is also the country's official
language. Other local official languages are Croatian, Hungarian and
Slovene
 Population growth mainly due to a positive net migration (balance of
immigration and emigration), but regional difference exist:
 In Vienna, large population increase nearly exclusively a result of netmigration
gains (prime destination for international immigration)
 Low immigration and higher natural population increase in Vorarlberg
The Republic of Austria
Population =>
 Low fertility rate (1.53 children
per woman), well below the
“replacement level” of approx. 2
children per woman
 Ever rising age at childbirth
(>30)
 Population growth is mainly
attributed to gains from
international migration
The Republic of Austria
 Life expectancy Men >79, women of >84
Population Trends =>
 Aging population: The proportion of the elderly population will grow from
18.6% in 2017 to 28.1% by 2060
 Continuing growth of the Austrian population with a foreign background
due to migration
 Foreign born population: 19% in 2017, expected 25% in 2060)
 Diverse regional development: Vienna will see the highest growth during the
next decade (+18%)
 Population will increase to 9.43 million (+9%) until 2030
The Republic of Austria
Religion =>
 Freedom of religion is a statutorily guaranteed right in Austria
 State and church are independent from one another
 Statutory enactments regulate the state’s relationship with:
 The Catholic church (the Concordat of 1933)
 The Protestant Church (the Protestantengesetz of 1961)
 The Orthodox Church (the Orthodoxengesetz of 1967)
 The Jewish Religious Association (the Israelitengesetz of 1890)
 The Islamic Religious Community (the Islamgesetz of 1912)
 Buddhism was legally recognized as a religion in Austria (1983)
The Republic of Austria
Religion =>
 At the end of the 20th century, about 74% of
Austria's population were registered as Catholic,
 Catholicism has gradually declined in Austria
over the past decades
 In 1938, over 200k Jews lived in Vienna, reduced
to 4,500 after WW2, app. 65k Jewish Austrians
killed in the Holocaust and 130k emigrating
 Majority current Jewish population are post-war
immigrants (from eastern Europe & central Asia)
The Republic of Austria
Ethnic groups =>
 The Austrian Federal Constitution calls for the respect and promotion of
ethnic groups resident in Austria. According to the ‘Ethnic Group Act’
(1976), special rights are given to:
 Croatian (over 30k)
 Slovenian (about 40k)
 Hungarian, Czech and Slovak ethnic groups and for Roma
 The rights of Croatian and Slovenian are also set forth in the State Treaty
of Vienna (1955)
The Republic of Austria
Nature =>
 One of Europe’s most water-wealthy
countries (average annual precipitation
of 1,100mm)
 Forestry and the timber industry are
important economic factors
The Republic of Austria
 Almost half of Austria’s federal territory is covered by forests
 Most are privately owned and represents an important source of
income for many agricultural holdings
 Austria’s terrain is highly mountainous due to the presence of the Alps
Environmental Protection =>
 Austria is one of the leading countries in Europe in the field of
environmental policy
 The standards in force in Austria are very stringent by European
comparison (concerning waste management, chemicals or air
pollution)
 Ecological criteria have increasingly been taken into account in
agriculture (strict regulations for the use of pesticides and fertilizers)
 High quality Water of Austria’s lakes
The Republic of Austria
Languages =>
 Main native language outside Vorarlberg is Austro-Bavarian, which is
spoken using many different dialects
 Northern parts of Austria (including Vienna): Central Austro-Bavarian
dialects, southern parts: Southern Austro-Bavarian dialects
 Austro-Bavarian differs heavily from high German, making it hard for
German speakers of different regions to understand the native population
 Alemannic is spoken in Vorarlberg, same dialect group as in Northern
Switzerland and parts of southern Alsace, France
The Republic of Austria
Languages =>
 Minority languages with official status:
 Serbian: The largest minority language, spoken by 2.4% of Austrians
 Turkish: Second largest, spoken by some 2.3% of the population
 Burgenland Croatian: An official language in Burgenland, spoken by
2.5% of Austrians
 Slovene: an official language in Carinthia, spoken by 0.3% of Austrians
 Traditionally held an important position in Austria (Austria-Hungary),
Hungarian is currently spoken by .05% of the Austrian population
The Republic of Austria
 As a federal republic, Austria is
comprised of 9 independent federal
states/provinces):
 Vienna (Wien)
 Burgenland
 Lower Austria (Niederösterreich)
 Upper Austria (Oberösterreich)
 Styria (Steiermark)
 Salzburg
 Carinthia (Kärnten)
 Tyrol (Tirol)
 Vorarlberg
The Republic of Austria
Vienna
 Capital of Austria and a federal state
 Located in the north-east of Austria
 Surrounding province: Lower Austria
 Borders the Czech Republic, Slovakia
and Hungary
 Divided into 23 districts
 Famous for its architecture (e.g.,
palaces) and music, International
institutions, etc.
Burgenland
 Eastern federal state
 Neighbouring federal states: Lower
Austria, Styria
 Neighbouring states: Slovakia, Hungary,
Slovenia
 Capital: Eisenstadt
 7 districts, 3,966 km² , 292k residents
 Important wine growing area
Lower Austria
 Located in the north-east of Austria, 19,186 km²
 Neighbouring provinces: Upper Austria, Styria, Burgenland
 Neighbouring states: Slovakia, Czech Republic
 Austria’s largest federal state
 Capital: St. Pölten
 1.67 million residents (2nd most densely populated
state), divided to 4 districts (“Viertel”)
 Weinviertel, Waldviertel, Mostviertel, Industrieviertel
 Highest mountain: Schneeberg, 2076m
Upper Austria
 Fourth-largest federal state (area), third
(populstion)
 Neighbouring provinces: Lower Austria, Styria,
Salzburg
 Neighbouring states: Czech Republic, Germany
 11.981 km², 1.47 million people
 Capital: Linz
 Linzer Torte: said to be the oldest cake in the
world (1653), traditionally eaten during Christmas
(there is also a cookie version)
Styria
 Second largest Austrian federal state (area covered)
 Neighbouring federal states: Burgenland, Lower Austria,
Upper Austria, Salzburg, Carinthia
 Neighbouring states: Slovenia
 16.391 km²,1.21 million residents
 Capital: Graz (second largest city in Austria), Arnold
Schwarzenegger
 “The green heart of Austria” (61% of it are covered by
forests, fruit gardens, vineyards and grasslands)
Salzburg
 7.154 km², 552k residents
 Neighbouring federal states: Upper Austria,
Styria, Carinthia and Tyrol
 Neighbouring states: Germany
 Divided into five regions, called “Gaue”
 Capital: Salzburg (152k)
 Best known for its various music festivals +
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Carinthia
 Most southern Austrian federal state
 Neighbouring provinces: Styria, Salzburg, Tyrol
 Neighbouring states: Slovenia, Italy
 Capital => Klagenfurt (100k)
 9,535 km², >560k residents, 8 districts
 Known for its chemical, mechanical engineering &
electrical industries
 Shares Großglockner, (the highest mountain) with Tyrol
Tyrol
 12,647 km², 750k residents
 Neighbouring federal states: Salzburg, Vorarlberg
 Neighbouring states: Germany, Italy, Switzerland
 Capital: Innsbruck
 Dominated by the Alps’ peaks
 Known for its ski resorts
Vorarlberg
 Most Western, second smallest federal state
 2.601 km², 370.000 residents, 6 regions
 Neighbouring federal state: Tyrol
 Neighbouring states: Germany, Switzerland,
Liechtenstein
 Capital: Bregenz
 Lake Constance (Bodensee) is one of the biggest
lakes in Europe, connects Germany, Switzerland,
Political Leaders
President: Alexander van der Bellen
 Green Party
 largely a ceremonial post
 Elected in the December 2016, defeating
Norbert Hofer of the far-right Freedom
Party
 Initial run => A narrow victory, highly
polarized election annulled due to votecounting
irregularities
Political Leaders
President: Alexander van der Bellen
 Hofer’s potential to become the first far-right
European head of state in recent history
attracted major international media
Political Leaders
Sebastian Kurz
 Was the chancellor from Dec 2017-May 2019
 Heading the Austrian People's Party (OeVP)
Youngest Minister of Foreign Affairs in Austrian
history –was 27 when entered office
 World's youngest head of government (sworn
chancellor in December 2017 at the age of 31)
 Became OeVP chairman in May 2017
Political Leaders
 Immediately ended the decade-long coalition
government with the Social Democrats (SPOe)
and called for an early election
 Formed a coalition government with the far-right
Freedom Party (FPOe), making Austria the only
country in western Europe with a far-right
presence in the government
 6k people protested, denouncing the Freedom
Party as Nazis
Political Leaders
 Current Chancellor: Brigitte Bierlein (since 3
June 2019)
 Former ruling Coalition ÖVP–FPÖ collapsed
as former Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian
Strache resigned on 18 May 2019, following
the Ibiza affair (political scandal)
 Snap elections were held on 29 September
2019 after a no-confidence vote (May 27)
 Coalition building negotiation
Neutrality and Army
 In 1955, Austria declared its permantent neutrality
 Although NOT a member of NATO, Austria does participate in
various international military activities
 Has an army + conscription for men
 Member in international organizations (UN) and security
alliances (Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe)
 UN member since 1955
 Actively participating (dispatching personnel) in UN missions, e.g, in the
Middle East (UNDOF, UNTSO), Cyprus (UNFICYP) and in Africa (UNOWA)
 The end of the Cold War enabled Austria to move from its peripheral
position at the borderline between "East" and "West" closer to the
center of a larger Europe => new forms of partnership and
cooperation across Europe
Foreign Relations
 Joined the EU and signed the Schengen
Agreement in 1995
 Adopted the Euro in 1999
Foreign Relations
 Founding member of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in
Europe
 Austria participated in missions in Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina &
Afghanistan
 Austria joint NATO's Partnership for Peace
(1995)
 Supports NATO in peace missions, crisis
management activities and rescue operations in
disaster areas
Foreign Relations
 Vienna is a home to =>
 One of the headquarters of the UN and hosts the IAEA, UNIDO, CTBTO
and further UN organizations (UNODC, UNCOPUOS)
 The Secretariat of the Permanent Council of the OSCE, OPEC and the
OPEC Fund
 The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (for the protection of
human and fundamental rights)
 Has frequently been the venue of superpower summits
Changing Manifestation of Austria
 Roman Provinces (1-5th c. AC)
 Frontier Province (Mark) (803-1156), 996 “Ostarrichi”
 Duchy (1156) – state sovereignty
 Regnum (1192-1699)
 World Empire (1516-1556)
 Continental Empire (1699-1918)
 Republic (1918-38, 1945)
 United with Germany in World War II
 Republic of Austria (modern times)
Conceptualizing Austria
 Throughout history, similarly to other states, Austria had different
territories with changing boundaries
 There is no ‘Austrian people’ in an ethnic sense
 Austrians are the people that belong to the respective state
 Subjects of the Duke, Archduke, King, Emperor etc.
 Citizens of the Empire, Republic
 The Austrian population consists of various ethnic groups which form one
nation; Political nation: Austrian Ethnic nation: German, Czech, Magyar,
Croat, …
 Austria was often a part of larger political units
 Holy Roman Empire
 German Confederation
 Austrian Empire
 Austro-Hungarian Empire
 European Union
 Independent since 1955
 Industries include: Steel, machinery, chemicals, forestry, hydropower,
handicrafts (wood, glass, textile, ceramic), tourism, foreign trade
Always a ‘Team player’
39
 Austria is one of the most prosperous and stable EU Member States
 Free market economy with a strong social focus
 Well-functioning system of economic and social partnership, traditionally
played a reconciliatory role in wage and price policies
 Highly developed industrialized country with an important service sector
 Top industries => Food and luxury commodities, mechanical engineering
and steel construction, chemicals, and vehicle manufacturing
 Has natural resources (iron, non-ferrous metals, minerals, petroleum,
natural gas) but is importing further due to its growing industrial sector
Economy
40
 Agriculture => a strong trend towards organic farming
 leader in the field of hydroelectric power in the European Union
 Austria's industrial and commercial sectors are characterized by a high
proportion of medium-sized companies
 Tourism is an essential pillar of the Austrian economy.
 Relatively low unemployment
Economy
 Traditional dishes (Vienna):
 Wiener Schnitzel
 Tafelspitz
 Apfelstrudel
 Palatschinkeen (sweet pancakes)
 Sachertorte
 Opera Ball (Vienna) => The most famous
ball event in Austria
Austrian Culture
 In the Alpine regions, the Krampus acts as an anti–Saint
Nicholas, who, instead of giving good children presents (for
Christmas), gives punishments to the bad kids
 Traditionally, young men dress up as the Krampus in the
first two weeks of December, particularly in the evening of
December 5, and roam the streets scaring children
 Prangstangen are decorated with flowers and are carried
around in June to secure a good harvest for the farmers
salzburg
Austrian Culture
 Midsummer fires are lit by the end of June to welcome
summer, mainly in lower Austria and in Vorarlberg
 Lederhosen, knee-long trousers or short-pants made
from leather, are worn with rustic shoes and woollen
socks
 Budelfrau is a helper of Santa Claus who brings sweets
for the children on January 6 (Burgenland)
 The Dirndl, consists of a close fitting bodice combined
with an apron in a different colour
Austrian Culture
44
Confidence in institutions
Source: Market-Marktforschung, October 2008, Vertrauen ist ungleich verteilt http://www.vmoe.at/rte/upload/news_vertrauen_ist_ungleich_verteilt_.pdf
 Austrians have
varying degrees of
confidence in
institutions:
 Chamber of
Labour
 President
 Bank
45
Austria and the EU
 EU member since 1995, Schengen 1997
 Intra-EU trade accounts for 71% of Austria’s exports
 Germany 30%, Italy 6%, and Slovakia 4%
 Exports outside the EU => 6% go to the US, 5% to Switzerland
 Imports:
 78% come from EU Member States (Germany 43%, Italy 6% and
Czech Republic 4%)
 Outside the EU => 6% come from Switzerland and 3% from China
46
Austria and the EU
47
Austria and the EU
 Council of the EU => National ministers meet
regularly to adopt EU laws and coordinate policies
 Council meetings regularly attended by Austrian
representatives depending on the policy area
being addressed
 Presidency of the Council of the EU => The Council doesn't have a permanent,
single-person president. Its work is led by the country holding the Council
presidency, which rotates every 6 months
48
Austria and the EU
 During these 6 months, ministers from that
country's government chair and determine
the agenda of Council meetings in each
policy area + facilitate dialogue with the
other EU institutions
 Austria last held the presidency at the end
of 2018
49
How did Austria get There?
 Despite: being a small country + ww2
 Success Factors:
 Political System – learning from the past
 Labour Relations – negotiations to prevent conflicts
 Mixed Economy: Private – Public – Welfare State
 Technology Follower
 Institutional setup and cooperation
50
Contemporary Challenges
 Increasing pressure on living and working conditions, on social protections
systems, Public Services (privatizations)
 Rising inequalities in society
 Sustainable Growth Model
 Pensions
 The rise of the Right wing
 Immigration
Next Session...51
 The Austrian Empire
 The Austro-Hungarian Empire
 Nationalism and social multiculturalism
 Politics and society
 Foreign policy
52
Thank You For Your Attention!
Questions???