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The Austrian Independence Treaty (complete form: Treaty for the re-establishment of an independent and democratic Austria, signed in Vienna on the 15 May 1955), more commonly referred to as the Austrian State Treaty (German Staatsvertrag), was signed on May 15, 1955 in Vienna at the Schloss Belvedere between the Allied occupying powers: France, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Soviet Union, and the Austrian government and officially came into force on July 27, 1955.
Generalities and structure
The treaty re-established a free, sovereign and democratic Austria. The basis for the treaty was the Moscow Declaration of October 30, 1943.
The signators of the treaty were the foreign ministers of the time: Vyacheslav Molotov, John Foster Dulles, Harold MacMillan and Antoine Pinay on behalf of the Allies, and Leopold Figl as the Austrian Foreign Minister, as well as the four High Commissioners of the occupying powers.
The treaty is divided into 9 parts:
- Preamble
- Political and territorial provisions
- Military and air travel provisions
- Reparations
- Ownership, Law and Interests
- Economic relations
- Rules for disputes
- Economic provisions
- Final provisions
Important points in the treaty
As well as general regulations and recognition of the Austrian state, the minority rights of the Croat and Slovenian minorities are also expressly detailed. Anschluss (political union) with the new Germany, as had happened in 1938, was forbidden. Nazi and fascist organisations were prohibited.
Furthermore, Austria announced that it would declare itself permanently neutral after the enactment of the treaty. The USSR had expressed its wish for such a declaration of neutrality as a guarantee that Austria would not join NATO after Soviet troops had been withdrawn. Thus, Austrian neutrality is not technically part of the treaty, but is historically and politically linked with it.
Result
As a result of the treaty the Allies quit Austrian territory on October 25, 1955. October 26 is celebrated as a national holiday (called the Day of the Flag until 1965). It is sometimes thought to commemorate the withdrawal of Allied troops, but in fact celebrates Austria's Declaration of Neutrality, which was passed on October 26, 1955.
Development
First attempts to negotiate a treaty were made by the first post-war government. However, they failed because the Allies wanted to see a peace treaty with Germany first. A treaty became less likely with the development of the Cold War. However, Austria successfully held its part of Carinthia against the demands of a resurgent Communist Yugoslavia, even though the issue of potential reunification with South Tyrol, annexed by Italy in 1919, was not addressed. The climate for negotiations improved with Stalin's death in 1953, and negotiations with the Soviet foreign minister Molotov secured the breakthrough in February of 1955.
See also
External links
- www.staatsvertrag.at - eine akustische webausstellung - an acoustic web exhibition on the "Austrian Independence Treaty" - in German
- Leopold Figl zeigt einer Menschenmenge den Staatsvertrag (Video) - in German
- Austria is free - in German
- Website of the 2005 Jubilee Year
- Counter-website to the 2005 national celebrations
1955 | History of Austria | Treaties
Österreichischer Staatsvertrag | Traité d'État autrichien | Oostenrijkse Staatsverdrag | Avstrijska državna pogodba
"Austrian State Treaty"