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History and Government
History: Austria’s history since the 13th century is bound up with that of the Hapsburg family. The region was conquered by Charlemagne and remained as a part of the Holy Roman Empire. By the 16th century, the Hapsburgs had gained a firm grip on the title of Emperor, although their power owed less to this often empty distinction than to the extensive family lands, many of which were to be found in Austria. Under Charles V, Austria was part of a vast empire, but after Charles’ abdication in 1556 the Spanish and Germanic parts of his lands were separated, passing to his son and his brother respectively.
The Holy Roman Empire as a political unit became more and more fragmented, leading one 18th-century observer to comment that it was ‘neither holy, nor Roman nor an Empire’. It was formally abolished in August 1806, Francis II having already assumed the title of ‘Emperor of Austria’. Much of the northern and eastern parts of the Empire had by this time been absorbed into Prussia. During the 17th and 18th centuries Austria, and in particular Vienna, became one of the major centres of the cultural renaissance associated with the terms Baroque and The Enlightenment; the musical achievements of this period are particularly notable. The Austrian Empire (by this time the Austro-Hungarian Empire) came to an end after World War I and Austria was declared a republic. In 1938 it was incorporated into the Third Reich, but was liberated in 1945 and established as a republic once again under the protectorship of the allied powers.
Full independence was restored in July 1955, and Austria has since been governed according to an orthodox Western European model. The major parties, the ÖVP (Österreichische Volkspartei – Austrian People’s Party) and the SPÖ (Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs – Social Democratic Party of Austria), enjoyed an effective monopoly of Austrian politics until the 1980s which saw the rise of the far right and environmentalists. The decade also brought unusual and unwelcome international attention to Austria when the former UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim stood for the presidency: although a largely titular post, the presidency carries great symbolic significance. The controversy mainly concerned Waldheim’s role during World War II, in which he served as a German army intelligence officer, and his alleged knowledge of, and complicity in, mass deportations and executions.
Dogged by the allegations throughout his six-year tenure, Waldheim stood down in May 1992. His replacement at the election which followed was ÖVP candidate, Thomas Klestil, who was re-elected to a second term in April 1998. The Waldheim affair came soon after the first appearance of the far-right party Die Freiheitlichen (originally known as the Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs (FPÖ) – Austrian Freedom Party) under Joerg Haider as a major electoral force. With neither party able to secure an overall majority, they have consequently combined in coalition governments in order to exclude the Die Freiheitlichen. The administration which held office between December 1995 and the autumn of 1999 was typical of this pattern. Chancellor Franz Vranitsky led the Government from 1995 until his unexpected resignation in January 1997, at which point he was replaced by Finance Minister Viktor Klima.
The belief that Die Freiheitlichen had peaked electorally was proved wrong in October 1999 when its vote increased again to 27 per cent. Once more, the SPÖ and ÖVP combined to exclude it, but, unable to secure a majority, they were forced in January 2000 to admit Haider’s party into government. After a furious initial reaction, which included diplomatic sanctions, the rest of the EU came to terms with the new Government which settled down with the ÖVP’s Wolfgang Schüssel as Chancellor and Haider’s deputy, Suzanne Riess-Passer, as Vice-Chancellor. The coalition has, against expectations, survived through mutual need: the only alternative being new elections.
Government: Austria is a federal republic with bicameral legislature: the 183-member National Council is elected for four years; the 64 members of Federal Council do not have fixed terms. The President, elected for a six-year term, is head of state. Executive power is held by the Chancellor, normally the leader of the largest party in parliament, who leads a cabinet of ministers.
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