Beginning with the Congress of Vienna in 1815 and extending to the elections in November of 1986, this history of modern Austria has been written for the general reader and the student wishing an overview of the country's recent history. The first part of the book, covering the years from 1815 to 1918, includes a discussion of the events in Habsburg history that have a particular significance for the evolution of the later republic. The second part, commencing with the establishment of the First Republic in the turbulent and difficult years after World War I, is concerned with the development of the democratic government and its replacement during a period of economic and political instability by the authoritarian regimes of Dollfuss and Schuschnigg. The first two decades of Austrian independence conclude with the annexation by Germany and the subsequent involvement in the catastrophe and total defeat of World War II. The postwar period commences with a description of the reestablishment of the independent state, the ten-year four-power occupation and, finally, the treaty of 1955 and the acceptance of Austrian neutrality.
The last two chapters deal with the internal and international issues that concerned the Austrian government in a period of relative tranquility. Particular attention is paid to the unique aspects of the Austrian system. The book concludes with an examination of the Kreisky era, the evolution of Austrian social democracy, and the political controversies after 1983. The main emphasis in the book is on political history and foreign policy, but attention is paid to the cultural history of Austria, focusing particularly on Vienna, throughout the nineteenth and twenieth centuries.