Austria’s cultural life and history before and after World War I

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For the full article, see <a href="/place/Austria">Austria</a>. </div> <div class="collection-content topic-paragraph"> <article class="content"><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies multiple medialist slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100" data-type="other"><div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex"><div class="rw-track d-flex align-items-center"><div class="position-relative rw-slide col-100 px-20 "><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="62124" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/73/6073-050-4D6FDAF6/Flag-Austria.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/44183/62124"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/73/6073-050-4D6FDAF6/Flag-Austria.jpg?w=740&h=416&c=crop"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/73/6073-050-4D6FDAF6/Flag-Austria.jpg?w=740&h=416&c=crop" alt="Austria" data-width="1600" data-height="1068" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/73/6073-050-4D6FDAF6/Flag-Austria.jpg" data-href="/media/1/44183/62124">Austria</a><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div><div class="position-relative rw-slide col-100 px-20 "><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="65192" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/03/69803-004-9E1C1384/Map-of-Austria.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/44183/65192"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/03/69803-004-9E1C1384/Map-of-Austria.jpg"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/03/69803-004-9E1C1384/Map-of-Austria.jpg?w=740&h=416&c=crop" alt="Austria" data-width="370" data-height="370" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/03/69803-004-9E1C1384/Map-of-Austria.jpg" data-href="/media/1/44183/65192">Austria</a><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div></div><button disabled="true" class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span></button><button disabled="true" class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span></button></div><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="151360" data-asm-type="audio"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media border-0" data-type="audio"><audio src="https://cdn.britannica.com/48/145648-005-9ED3051A/instrumental-national-anthem-Austria.mp3" type="audio/mpeg" controls=""></audio></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/48/145648-005-9ED3051A/instrumental-national-anthem-Austria.mp3" data-href="/media/1/44183/151360">National anthem of Austria</a><span>The instrumental version of the national anthem of Austria.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong>Austria</strong>, officially <strong>Republic of Austria</strong>, Country, south-central Europe. Area: 32,388 sq mi (83,884 sq km). Population: (2024 est.) 9,295,000. Capital: <a href="https://www.britannica.com/summary/Vienna" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Vienna</a>. The population is predominantly Austrian. Language: German (official). Religions: Christianity (predominantly Roman Catholic; also Protestant and Orthodox); also Islam. Currency: euro. Much of Austria is covered by Alpine regions, including the eastern <a href="https://www.britannica.com/summary/Alps" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Alps</a>, where the country’s highest point, the Grossglockner, is found. The Bohemian Forest, a highland region, extends north into the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/summary/Czech-Republic" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Czech Republic</a>. The lowland region, including the Vienna Basin, lies in the east; it supports mainly agricultural activities. The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/summary/Danube-River" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Danube River</a> and its tributaries drain nearly the entire country. Austria has a developed mixed free-market and government-operated economy based on manufacturing and commerce; tourism is also important. Austria is a federal state with two legislative houses. The head of state is the president, and the head of government is the chancellor. Austria’s greatest cultural contribution has been in music (<em>see</em> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/summary/Joseph-Haydn" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Haydn, Joseph</a>; <a href="https://www.britannica.com/summary/Wolfgang-Amadeus-Mozart" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus</a>; <a href="https://www.britannica.com/summary/Franz-Schubert" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Schubert, Franz</a>; <a href="https://www.britannica.com/summary/Alban-Berg" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Berg, Alban</a>; <a href="https://www.britannica.com/summary/Anton-Webern" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Webern, Anton</a>). Major cultural figures in other fields include <a href="https://www.britannica.com/summary/Oskar-Kokoschka" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Oskar Kokoschka</a> in art, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/summary/Sigmund-Freud" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Sigmund Freud</a> in psychoanalysis, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/summary/Ludwig-Wittgenstein" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ludwig Wittgenstein</a> in philosophy. Settlement in Austria goes back more than 5,000 years. The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/summary/Celt-people" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Celts</a> invaded <em>c.</em> 400 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span> and established the kingdom of Noricum. The Romans arrived after 200 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span> and established the provinces of Raetia, Noricum, and Pannonia; prosperity followed, and the population became Romanized. Germanic tribes began invading the area before the fall of Rome in the 5th century <span class="text-smallcaps">ce</span>, after which more Germanic tribes and the Slavs entered the region; they were eventually subdued by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/summary/Charlemagne" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Charlemagne</a>, and the area became ethnically Germanic. The distinct political entity that would become Austria emerged in 976 with Leopold I of Babenberg as margrave. In 1278 Rudolf IV of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/summary/House-of-Habsburg" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Habsburg</a> (Rudolf I as the king of Germany) conquered the area; Habsburg rule lasted until 1918. While in power, the Habsburgs created a kingdom centred on Austria, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/summary/Bohemia" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Bohemia</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/summary/Hungary" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Hungary</a>. The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/summary/Napoleonic-Wars" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Napoleonic Wars</a> brought about the end of the Habsburg-controlled <a href="https://www.britannica.com/summary/Holy-Roman-Empire" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Holy Roman Empire</a> (1806) and the emergence of the Austrian Empire. The prince von <a href="https://www.britannica.com/summary/Klemens-von-Metternich" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Metternich</a> tried to assure Austrian supremacy among Germanic states, but war with Prussia led Austria to divide the empire into the Dual Monarchy of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/summary/Austria-Hungary" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Austria-Hungary</a>. Nationalist sentiment plagued the kingdom, and the assassination of Francis Ferdinand by a Bosnian Serb nationalist in 1914 triggered World War I, which destroyed the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In the postwar carving up of Austria-Hungary, Austria became an independent republic. It was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938 (<em>see</em> Anschluss) and joined the Axis powers in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/summary/World-War-II" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">World War II</a>. The republic was restored in 1955 after 10 years of Allied occupation. Austria became a full member of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/summary/European-Union" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">European Union</a> (EU) in 1995. After a half-century of military neutrality, Austria was one of the few members of the EU that was not a member of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/summary/North-Atlantic-Treaty-Organization" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">NATO</a> at the outset of the 21st century.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span></section> </article></div> </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal mb-20" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/summary/House-of-Babenberg"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/images/shared/default3.png?v=3.130.14" class="default " height="75" width="100"/> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/summary/House-of-Babenberg" >House of Babenberg Summary</a> <div class="font-weight-light font-serif font-14 line-clamp clamp-2 ilf-description">House of Babenberg, Austrian ruling house in the 10th–13th century. Leopold I of Babenberg became margrave of Austria in 976. The Babenbergs’ power was modest, however, until the 12th century, when they came to dominate the Austrian nobility. With the death of Duke Frederick II in 1246, the male</div> </div> </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal mb-20" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/summary/Second-Empire-style"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/42/143242-050-E15EE5E7/Reichstag-building-Berlin.jpg?w=100&h=75&c=crop" alt="Second Empire style in the Reichstag building" width="100" height="75" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/summary/Second-Empire-style" >Second Empire style Summary</a> <div class="font-weight-light font-serif font-14 line-clamp clamp-2 ilf-description">Second Empire style, architectural style that was dominant internationally during the second half of the 19th century. Developing from a tendency of architects of the second quarter of the 19th century to use architectural schemes drawn from the periods of the Italian Renaissance, Louis XIV, and</div> </div> </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal mb-20" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/summary/Revolutions-of-1848"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/images/shared/default3.png?v=3.130.14" class="default " height="75" width="100"/> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/summary/Revolutions-of-1848" >Revolutions of 1848 Summary</a> <div class="font-weight-light font-serif font-14 line-clamp clamp-2 ilf-description">Revolutions of 1848, series of republican revolts against European monarchies, beginning in Sicily and spreading to France, Germany, Italy, and the Austrian Empire. They all ended in failure and repression and were followed by widespread disillusionment among liberals. The revolutionary movement</div> </div> </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal mb-20" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/summary/Rococo"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/95/241695-050-F77A494A/The-Swing-Jean-Honore-Fragonard-1767-1768.jpg?w=100&h=75&c=crop" alt="Jean-Honoré Fragonard: The Swing" width="100" height="75" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/summary/Rococo" >Rococo Summary</a> <div class="font-weight-light font-serif font-14 line-clamp clamp-2 ilf-description">Rococo, style in interior design, the decorative arts, painting, architecture, and sculpture that originated in Paris in the early 18th century but was soon adopted throughout France and later in other countries, principally Germany and Austria. It is characterized by lightness, elegance, and an</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"TopicCollectionPage","templateName":"CONCISE","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":6,"pageId":null,"pageLength":null,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-collection-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"B","adLeg":"B","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"TopicCollectionPage","pageSubtype":"CONCISE","articleTemplateType":null,"gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Austria’s cultural life and history before and after World War I | Britannica