From prehistoric times to frontier countries
As early as the Paleolithic period from 80000 BC to 10000 BC, the Danube region was inhabited. "Female Dance" and "Venus in Vellendorf" unearthed in krems are important first-hand evidences of early culture. 199 1 year, a stone age human mummy that shocked the world was found in the glacier area of the Joztal Alps. In the early Iron Age (800-400 BC), Kelten people lived in Austria, and they had already engaged in salt and iron trade in Europe. Around the birth of Christ, the Roman Empire occupied most of today's Austria. As border countries, Ratzin, Noriku and Bannoni provinces were established. The Romans built many camps, and Bannoni camp, located in the east of Vienna, was the largest city built by the Romans on this Austrian land. In the 2nd century, Christianity began to spread. The great migration of nationalities led to the decline of the Roman Empire. With the end of the Roman Empire, Latin lifestyle and culture disappeared from this region. From the 6th century, Bavarians began to settle here one after another, and met Slavs and Avars advanced from the East. The establishment of church organizations in this land can be traced back to the 4th century. Charlemagne (747-8 14), the Frankish ruler, established a "Caroline Dependent State" between Enes, Lapp and Drao River on the land of Austria today. However, after the failure of the war with magyars, the eastern dependent countries also disintegrated in 907. It was not until 955 that Otto the Great defeated magyars and regained the land. In 976, the area between Enes and Thellusson River was awarded to Lebourt, who was born into a Bavarian aristocratic family. Feng? Barbenberg
Royal rule of Babenburg
The new ruler of the border count's country first established his ruling center in merke. 1 156, Duke Henry II? Jasomirgott (conscience of heaven and earth) finally chose Vienna as the capital. The rulers of Babenburg continued to expand the territory north of the Danube to the east and south. Before the Millennium turn, in 996, the former Alps had been called Austria (? Oss Taric).
1 156, the ruler of Babenburg was conquered by the emperor Flier Ritchie? Thanks to Barbarossa, the country of the border earl was promoted to the country of the duke, which means that it can have greater independence from the imperial power. 1 192, Leopold V the Virtuous, the ruler of Babenburg, won the Stail Mark of the Principality through marriage. 1246, the childless duke Flier Ritchie II was killed in his battle against Hungarians, and his fief became the object of political power struggle in neighboring countries. Austrian aristocrats finally sided with Bohemian King Otoka II Ple Murcier, who married the sister of the last ruler of Papenburg, thus ensuring the right to inherit this territory. Otoka II quickly succeeded in restoring the domestic order, retaking Stelmark, and put Kente under his own rule by inheriting the treaty. However, Rudolf, the newly elected king of the Roman Empire? Feng? Habsburg thought that the Bohemian king did not obey the imperial decree, so he was unwilling to admit his power. Thus, the war conflict broke out. 1278, Otto Card was killed in the Battle of Dorne Croute. 1282, Rudolf named his two sons Duke of Austria and Duke of Steyr, which laid the foundation for the expansion of Habsburg royal power.
600 years of Habsburg royal rule
From the end of13rd century to the middle of15th century, the rulers of Habsburg dynasty successively acquired the duchy of Kaienteng (1335), the earl of Tyrol and the border territory of Wendy (1365), thus expanding their territory. The territory they lost in Switzerland was compensated by purchasing the fief of Berg in the current federal state of Folard. Her founder, the brilliant Rudolph IV, not only established the University of Vienna, but also consolidated his family's position handed down from generation to generation by forging the document "Privilegium maius". Rudolph's successor, diligent Duke Albray Sitt V, married the daughter of Emperor sigismund and became the king of Bohemia and Hungary. After the death of his father-in-law, Albray Sitter became the first Habsburg ruler to be re-elected as king of Rome and Germany. He died young in a battle against the Turks in 1439. Flier Ritchie V (Emperor Flier Ritchie III) from the Tyrol family took over the Austrian and imperial rule. Through alliance politics, he laid the foundation for the powerful Habsburg Empire. He married his son Maximilian to Mary, the heir of Burgundy. Maximilian also ensured the inheritance rights of his grandchildren Ferdinand and Carl in Bohemia, Hungary and Spain through clever marriage politics. Since then, the Habsburg dynasty has been divided into two parts, namely, Odd and Xihe. 1526, Louis II, the last ruler of Iaharo, died in the Battle of Mohek, and Bohemia, Hungary and Austria became one.
The Ottoman Empire, which advanced to Europe from14th century, is increasingly threatening this continent. 1453, after the Ottomans occupied Constantinople, they continued to advance westward, posing a continuous danger to the Habsburg fief. Ottoman troops arrived at the gates of Vienna twice before being stopped (1529 and 1683, the Turks besieged Vienna twice). After repeated bloody battles, the Ottomans were driven away. Hungary was recovered. Austrian prosperity and development into a powerful empire should be attributed to the genius commander Eugen who assisted three emperors (Leopold I, josef i and charles vi). Feng? Prince Savon. He not only showed outstanding military genius, but also had outstanding statesmanship. 1700, the Habsburg family in Spain became extinct. In a European war, that is, the "Spanish war of succession", the Austrian royal family (Casa d? Although Austria could not recapture the territory of Spain, it retained its dominant position in Italy and the Netherlands. 1740, the emperor charles vi died, and the paternal Habsburg ruler became extinct. Charles vi's daughter Maria was born in 1989, because 17 13, as a royal decree, promulgated the imperial edict of the state, guaranteed the indivisibility of the territory and made it possible for women to inherit. Tracy took over the dominion of the fief. This and Rotering Flantz? The female ruler who married in Stefan faced a group of enemies who coveted Habsburg territory. First of all, Prussian King Flier Ritchie II sought to occupy this territory unscrupulously. After two difficult wars (1740-48 Silesia War and 1756-63 Seven Years War), Maria? Tracy was able to keep her territory, and only the rich province of Silesia was ceded to Prussia.
This female ruler, who has an important historical position, fundamentally began to reform the territory. Her husband was elected as the Roman German Emperor Francis I in 1745, but he lived in her shadow all his life. Joseph II, her son, continued her reform, forbidding serfdom, and enacting laws on the right of tolerance and converting the property of monasteries and churches into public use, which decisively promoted the formation of centralization of authority. Although the French revolutionary thought spread timidly in Austria, it made Austria's autocratic system experience a serious threat. Maria? Mary, the grandson of the executed French queen Tracy? Emperor Franz Ii, nephew of Anton Knight, joined the alliance against revolutionary France. As a result, Austria had to submit to humiliation and resist Napoleon? Bonaparte's fiasco. 1804, after Napoleon was crowned Emperor of France, Emperor Flantz responded by establishing the title of Austrian Emperor. Due to the establishment of the Rhine Union under the protection of France, the Roman German Empire disintegrated in 1806. Franz Ii took off his crown. A series of battles launched by Napoleon later made Austria suffer a devastating defeat (Napoleon occupied Vienna twice). However, Archduke Karl's victory over the great Corsican in the Battle of Aspen proved that Napoleon was not invincible. Austrian Prime Minister Clemens, known as the "European coachman"? Wensel? Rotar? Feng? The Vienna Conference hosted by Marquis metternich restored the old system in Europe in 18 15.
The bourgeois revolutionary thought spread from France to Austria in the spring of 1848. Liberals demand constitutionalism and freedom of the press. The hateful metternich police state system has been eliminated. But in the same year 10, the uprising was suppressed and the conservatives won an all-round victory. The young emperor Flantz? Josef i has established a new autocratic system. His suspicious neutrality policy in the Kremlin War (1854- 1856) left Austria dangerously isolated in Europe. So Austria can only deal with Sardinia, which is allied with France and supports the Italian independence movement. 1859 After the defeat of Mazen Pagoda and Solferino, Austria had to give up Lombardy, and also had to compromise with the strong domestic political demand of establishing a parliamentary system by the emperor's October declaration and February credentials. The political development of half of the Austrian Empire ("Cisleithanien") is marked by the establishment of mass political parties (Social Democratic Party and Christian Socialist Party) and the demand for citizens' basic rights. 1907, the imperial parliament held universal direct elections for the first time. Until the outbreak of World War I, a complex European Union system maintained peace for a long time, during which Austria-Hungary, Germany and Italy became a triple alliance. However, in this multi-ethnic country, the expanding nationalism has caused many serious conflicts. The reasonable demands of the working class for humane working conditions and higher wages also urgently need to be solved. Archduke Flantz, heir to the Austrian throne? On June 28th, Ferdinand 19 14 was killed in Sarajevo, which only constituted the fuse for the outbreak of the First World War. In a four-year meaningless war, European powers competed with each other. As the United States entered the war, the war turned around. The failure of the central European powers (Austria-Hungary, Germany and Turkey allied with them) led to the disintegration of the European order so far. This dual dynasty also split into many nation states, and Austria and the Republic were born from this remaining land.
Austria and unpopular democracy during World War II.
the construction of the country
19 18, in the last days of the war, when the fate of defeat was irreversible, American President Woodroffe? Wilson's statement on national self-determination is regarded as a lifeline. Although Emperor Karl's national declaration was well-intentioned, it was too late. All ethnic groups in the two dynasties would rather choose the road of national independence. 191810/October 2 1, 232 German-speaking members of the Imperial Parliament (including 102 German National Party, 72 Christian Socialist Party, 42 Social Democratic Party and/kloc-0) 10 10 On October 30th, the Provisional National Assembly elected a 22-member National Assembly. Karl, a social Democrat appointed to be in charge of the General Office of the National Assembly? Reina submitted a draft transitional constitution. Regarding the form of the future country, the views of all parties are almost the same, and the German National Party and the Social Democratic Party have always been in favor of the * * * peace system. Christian socialists' attitude towards determining the development direction of the Republic attracted theologians and politicians ignaz? Seipel published a series of articles about * * * and China. 1 12 10 12, the provisional national assembly held a meeting in the parliament building along the ring road in Vienna, and declared Germany-speaking Austria a democratic republic. This * * * Republic-according to self-evaluation-seems to have no vitality. Therefore, it also announced its merger with the democratic Weimar Republic. The newly elected National Assembly is faced with a lot of almost powerless tasks: establishing a democratic constitution, adjusting relations with neighboring countries, preparing to attend the world peace conference, readjusting the social structure, and most urgently, letting the whole people spend this first winter. The domestic political situation is turbulent, and soldiers who keep coming back from the front can't find jobs. In order to ensure the stability of the situation, the rural self-defense forces were established, workers' committees appeared in factories, and soldiers' committees were elected in military camps. The border areas of this new country are unstable. In the south, SHS countries (Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia) demanded the recovery of Kaiente area. In the north, it is hopeless to ensure the territorial security of Bohemia and Melen German-speaking areas. 19 19 February 16, the Constitutional National Assembly election was held, and women won the right to vote for the first time. The Social Democratic Party became the largest party with 40.76% of the votes and 72 seats, the Christian Socialist Party with 35.93% of the votes and 69 seats, the German Middle Class Union with 26 seats and other parties with 3 seats.
Solving the people's famine is one of the most serious problems facing the new government. The agricultural areas of the previous dynasties were concentrated in the countries established after the division of the empire. They began to impose a blockade on the newly established Austria. Only by accepting high loans can Austria barely survive the famine in the first few years. High loans have become a heavy burden on the national budget. Important progress has been made in the social field. The Provisional and Constituent National Assembly decided to implement the 8-hour maximum working day, the law on enterprise committees, unemployment assistance, paid leave for employees and the reform of medical services. 19 19 The result of the Paris Peace Conference disappointed Austria. Austria lost South Tyrol. Cairnten saved most of the area thanks to public opinion polls. German-speaking West Hungary, except Jodenberg, was later classified as Austria. The name of the country must be changed from German Austria to Austria, and the alliance with Weimar * * * and China adopted by 19 18 is prohibited. The young Republic of China has always called the Treaty of Saint-Germain a national treaty, because Austria has never been in a state of war, so it is impossible to conclude a peace treaty. The federal constitution adopted by 1920 and the supplementary clauses of 1925 and 1929 are still valid, but it is a compromise result: all parties and federal states have put forward their own views, and the internationally renowned jurist Hans? Kelsen. After World War I, the space for Austrian diplomatic activities was extremely limited at first. In reality, the development of Austria's relations with its new neighbors is fruitful. Concluded a friendly trade treaty with Hungary; Czechoslovakia * * * and China re-supplied raw materials to Austria and guaranteed an extremely important loan at 192 1. Italy fully developed-first after fascism came to power-and became a protectorate of Austria, except for the issue of South Tyrol. The relationship with Weimar Republic is beyond reproach and pleasant. The General Office of the State Council handed over the unpleasant alliance to the non-governmental sponsors. In the face of catastrophic inflation, Austria's long-term economic reconstruction can only be achieved by loans from the League of Nations. Loans of up to 6.5 billion gold coins prevented the collapse of the Austrian state. As soon as these loans were announced, the currency exchange rate rose immediately.
A relatively stable year
After the disaster of the world war, various political forces in China were able to cooperate closely in the initial stage, and a series of most important decisions were passed in the coalition government composed of the Social Democratic Party and the Christian Socialist Party. But the fundamental ideological opposition will inevitably lead to the centrifugal separation of various forces from Germany. 1June, 920, a trivial reason broke the Coalition government. Strangely, both parties were satisfied with this, and the Social Democratic Party decided to stay away from power, which eventually had a negative impact on the country's political climate. Later, the Christian Socialist Party elected the head of government under the condition of accepting the German National Party or forming a Coalition government with it. The new strongman of Christian Socialist Party is ignaz? Seipel was the head of government until 1929, except for a short interruption. During this period, the domestic political economy appeared a short-term stable situation. 1925, the shilling became the new currency of Austria, and the strict supervision of the League of Nations was cancelled. The difficult problems are the state of the labor market and the overcrowding of a large number of officials. All parties feel obliged to express their views more clearly in the new party constitution, among which Linz party constitution of the Social Democratic Party has caused many misunderstandings and distortions because of his radical expression. In addition, the paramilitary organizations that have existed since 19 18 have brought a worrying competition to the orthodox mass parties: the home guards stand on the right and the national defense alliance stands on the left. Both sides consider themselves more authoritative representatives of their respective ideological views. For Austria, the increasingly strong smell of gunpowder in daily life has become a process of destruction.
The events of July 1927 showed the dangerous degree of escalation. In June+10 of the same year, the party troops in Burgenland held a usual parade, during which the far-right militia shot and killed a disabled soldier and a child. However, in the criminal trial, three gunmen were acquitted. Most followers of the Social Democratic Party expressed great anger, while party leaders held a wait-and-see attitude. As a result, spontaneous and leaderless large-scale demonstrations disappeared without any political results. Angry mass violence was answered by police shooting. The disastrous result: 89 people were killed and hundreds injured. The Social Democratic Party called for a general strike, but few people responded. Obviously, across the country, the balance of power is increasingly tilted towards right-wing parties. All the bridges to political opponents have been cut off, and the party representatives with superhuman wisdom-ignaz Seipel representing the Christian Socialist Party and Otto Bowie representing the Social Democratic Party-are irreconcilable with each other. To the detriment of * * * and China, followers of all parties accepted this tough hostile situation without reservation. 1930, garde nationale issued an anti-Marxist program with obvious fascist characteristics with "Krno Igbo Oath". Much to the dissatisfaction of the Christian Socialist Party, in the next election, the National Guard also participated as a political party. The cabinet of Johannes Sauber, the police chief who took office in an emergency, unanimously agreed to complete the constitutional reform and obtained the cancellation of the "general pledge right" related to the loan of the League of Nations implemented in The Hague that year. Unfortunately, Sauber, as the foreign minister of the cabinet in Entebbe, initiated the German-Austrian customs union project, which had to be abandoned due to Austria's embarrassing withdrawal. Similarly, the cabinet decided to force the credit bank to take over the land credit bank on the verge of bankruptcy. This practice led to the bankruptcy of the credit bank, and Austria was able to tide over the difficulties thanks to a new round of loans from the League of Nations. In 1930s, both politically and economically, Austria was in an extreme situation. As a long-term partner of the Coalition government, the Great German Party left the government on 1932. The remaining members of this gentleman's party are nothing more than party cadres, and their followers have long turned to the radical National Socialist Party. 1The federal parliamentary election held in April 1932 made the Christian Socialist Party stunned by the development of the situation. 1932 when the government was formed in may, a fresh green hand became the head of the cabinet, that is, Engelbert dover, the agriculture minister so far. He formed his own government by relying on the Home Guard and the Agricultural Union, that is, an industry party group, and passed the resolution of the League of Nations loan in the parliament with only a narrow majority of one vote. The direct consequences of this loan are not obvious, but the unemployment of about 600,000 people is too high a price.
Deviate from democracy
Therefore, it is not surprising that, like other European countries, the corporate social system and the authoritarian form of the government are also discussed here, and they try their best to take root in people's hearts as solutions. A parliamentary agenda crisis, which should have been easily solved in a relatively mild era, now provides an excuse for dissolving the parliament. The dolores government used a decree issued during World War II, which was used hundreds of times in the 1920s, and of course it was in line with legal procedures. With the help of the War Economic Authorization Act, the government subsequently issued a series of orders, and the parliament was accused of "dissolving itself". However, the real violation of the Constitution is the abolition of the Constitutional Court. Diplomatically, dolores formed a life-and-death alliance with Italy and was at the mercy of fascist dictatorship Mussolini. Mussolini forced him to eradicate the Social Democratic Party from political life. Therefore, Dolforth is committed to pursuing the strategy of continuing to crowd out political opponents. At the same time, the Italian-backed local guard is also expanding. Dolforth, who felt on the defensive in many aspects, took his programmatic speech at the 1933 Catholic Conference as the guiding principle, changed all political parties so far into the so-called patriotic reunification movement, that is, the "motherland front", and set out to establish a community system in Austria according to the principle of social circulation of the Pope. The Social Democratic Party, which is cornered, has little room for political activities. They responded to a conventional weapons search in Linz with armed defense. Three days later, the subsequent conflict was suppressed by the superior executive body with extremely tough means and inappropriate force. Due to the promulgation of martial law, the government ignored international protests and announced the execution of nine death sentences, causing heavy casualties on both sides. Many Social Democratic Party leaders and hundreds of followers fled to Czechoslovakia and established foreign organizations there. For decades, the differences in this civil war have led to the division of political parties. Internationally, the government used meaningless force against an obviously inferior opponent, which greatly lost face. A few months later, this cabinet, which has gone further and further on the road of promulgating laws, promulgated a new hierarchical national constitution. By signing the Rome Protocol with Hungary and Italy, Dolforth believes that he has won the support to deal with the increasingly rampant threat of national socialists. Neither severe attacks on national socialists nor secret negotiations can stop their aggressive momentum. On July 25th, 1934, these guys staged a coup. As a result, Federal Chancellor Doves was killed. The coup first caused many days of fighting in Kantendo and was finally suppressed. The military court sentenced the coup plotters, most of whom were soldiers of that year, and 13 of them were executed. In order to gain international recognition, Germany, which has been in power by the National Socialist Party, adopted an attitude of keeping a distance from like-minded people towards Austria, and later introduced an infiltration policy, which was implemented by the new German ambassador to Vienna, Flantz von Papen. Not long ago, he escaped the order to be executed in the "Roma incident".
fight for survival
After defeating the coup of national socialists, Federal President wilhelm miklas appointed Kurt Schuschnigg, Tyrol's Christian socialist politician and so far the legal minister of the cabinet, to form a cabinet. Schuschnigg insists on the continuity of national politics, that is, it continues to follow the route so far. In fact, he wanted to buy time to deal with the invasion of the German Empire. 1In July, 934, Italy was still massing troops on the Austrian border, but in June, 1935, it began to fall to the side of national socialist Germany, which was also caused by its adventurous actions in Ethiopia. The attempt to make western powers interested in Austria's fate eventually failed because of this bad image of authoritarian rule. Especially because Britain decided to pursue a set of appeasement policies, including tolerating the expansion of the German Empire. As a result, Germany successfully occupied the Rhine region without any international consequences. /kloc-The Berlin Olympic Games held in 0/936 re-established Germany's reputation as an "ordinary" country. In view of these new developments, Ambassador von Babpen called on Austria to conclude an agreement with the German Empire, which was finally signed in July 1936. Although this "gentleman's agreement" guaranteed Austria's independence, it officially recognized the right of the Austrian National Socialist Party to occupy the scope of political activities indefinitely. Schuschnigg is in a dilemma, and the rampant activities of the National Socialist Party in China have reached a new climax. Ambassador von Papen came forward again and proposed that Schuschnigg and Hitler hold private talks in Salz Mountain. The result of this conversation was disastrous. Hitler put the greatest pressure on the Austrian people. Compromise with the National Socialist Party led to 1938 February 16 Cabinet reshuffle, and the National Socialist Party had to join the government for the first time. Schuschnigg sought the support of the banned Social Democratic Party, but it was too late.
In the German Empire, Herman, the minister in charge of armaments, was the first relative to the policy of economic infiltration. Goering stepped up the strategic plan of "annexing" Austria. This is because the German Empire, which strengthened its armaments, lacked both labor and foreign exchange. They hope to annex Austria by force and solve these two problems in the fastest way. No matter from western European countries or Italy, we can't expect resolute protests. Schuschnigg's last-minute resistance strategy, that is, holding a referendum, accelerated the German invasion. 1938 in March, fascist Germany annexed Austria by using forged documents and wanton propaganda, but Austria, which felt too weak morally and strategically, did not take military action to retaliate. There was little response from the international community, and only Mexico, the Soviet Union, Chile and China protested. Relying on the strength of the Austrian National Socialist Party, the transfer of power went very smoothly. So far, Austria's elite leaders have been detained and sent to concentration camps. In the following months, Austrian Jews suffered unprecedented terror, psychological humiliation, physical abuse, property robbery and expulsion everywhere. In order to give the whole atrocity a so-called legitimate legal basis, the merger law was passed at the ministerial meeting directed by the first hand on March 3, and referendums were held in various parts of Germany on April 10. Relying on appalling propaganda, citizens' votes were abused and violence was legalized.
Meditating days of darkness
In Austria, the rule of the National Socialist Party was quickly established, and its system reached an almost unusual perfection even in the German Empire. The terrorist organization established by the SS and the Security Bureau received enthusiastic support from the hitherto illegal National Socialist Party. First of all, anti-government elements were destroyed by manipulated and limited violence, and unprecedented persecution was carried out against Jewish residents, all of which reached a level worse than that of the Third Reich. Austrian Jews were deprived of any basis for survival; By the beginning of the war, only 250 anti-Semitic laws had been promulgated. With the implementation of the so-called "celebrity transport plan", Austrian political elites were sent to concentration camps on April 1938+0. In the next few months, about 6.5438+0.3 million Austrians left their homes, mostly to find a safe exile in western countries. Once they fall into the so-called "Nuremberg decree", almost all their property will be taken away first. For Austria, expelling these citizens means the loss of spiritual wealth, and it will have an impact for decades. After World War II, few exiles want to return to the country that drove them away. Soon after the "merger", various political factions appeared the momentum of resistance. Producers and monarchists, social Democrats and members of the National Guard are reluctant to accept the new government. But there was never a national resistance organization, so it was easy for Nazi rulers to expose and brutally persecute opponents. Due to the insurmountable gap between political factions, it is impossible to produce an effective and acceptable government in exile. All rebel groups have expressed different political views, some of which are almost utopian. The Moscow Declaration of 1943 brought a definition of directionality because the allies aimed at rebuilding a sovereign Austrian country.
In the last months of the war, when resistance fighters were able to get in touch with American communications forces from Tyrol, more effective resistance actions appeared. Although it is impossible for Austria to get military assistance, it can pass on the latest news of the war situation to the allies. 1In the autumn of 944, the Austrian Provisional National Council (POEN) was announced, and factions of different political directions were United for the first time. After the attempted assassination of Hitler on July 20, 1944,/kloc-0, the armed resistance movement escaped the disaster of being hunted down and kept in touch with these political factions. It was the representatives of armed resistance who first got in touch with the advancing Soviet army and provided them with Germany's forward plan. Nevertheless, until April 1945, the battle around Vienna was still in full swing. For Austria, Nazi rule and the end of World War II were very frustrating: during this period, 2,700 Austrians were executed, 1.6 million people were brutally killed in concentration camps, 1.6 million people died in prisons, more than 67,000 Austrian Jews were sent to extermination camps, and almost 2,000 people survived at the end of the war. In addition, 247,000 Austrians serving in the army of the Third Reich were killed or missing, and 24,000 civilians were killed by bombs.
Newly independent country
The plan of the Allies in the post-war period is based on the total and complete defeat of Hitler and Germany. Austria was occupied by the allied forces of the four countries and divided into four occupied areas. In the capital, Vienna, the occupied area is divided into urban areas, and the inner cities are managed in turn. Before the official end of the war, in May 1945, Austrian political parties were established one after another, and they and the federal states were the initiators of the Declaration of Independence. In eastern Austria, the Soviets set up a project by former Prime Minister Karl? Reina led the government after a period of hesitation, according to the situation, the western allies also.