I knew this day was coming. I both feared and looked forward to it. Ever since I began developing my itinerary for the lost lands beyond Hungary’s borders, one country kept raising doubts in my mind. This country was not one of the usual suspects such as Romania with its bad roads, Slovakia with the speed demon drivers, Ukraine with Russia aggression breathing down its neck or Serbia fueled with fiery nationalism. The country that I doubted the most is the most organized and prosperous. The one that if a vote was taken today, would get voted most likely to continue succeeding. A country that despite the more unsavory aspects of its history is held in high regard across the world. This country is Austria. It might come as a surprise to many, but the nation known for The Sound of Music and Sacher Torte also has a darker side. Just ask its neighbors. The Czechs and Austrians were at loggerheads for centuries. There is still tension between Italy and Austria over the divided Tyrol. Slovenia and Austria fought an armed struggle in 1918-19 over Lower Styria and Carinthia. Last, but not least is Austria’s tumultuous historical relationship with Hungary.
Light and shadow – Schonbrunn in Vienna (Credit: Zyance)
Clever & Duplicitous – Matters of State
Of all the countries that Hungary lost lands to following World War I, Austria is the most improbable. Austrians literally dragged Hungary into what turned out to be a disastrous war. Hungary’s leader at the time, Istvan Tisza tried to resist involvement, but caved in under intense pressure. This put Hungary in a no-win situation. If Austria-Hungary won the war, then it would almost certainly acquire more territory in the Balkans which would marginalize Hungary’s influence in the Dual Monarchy. Dualism could become Trialism with Slavic subjects of the empire as its third ruling component. This was a nightmare scenario for Hungarians who guarded their status as the ruling authority in their half of the empire. If Austria-Hungary lost the war, the consequences would be dire. That is exactly what happened and led to the loss of historically Hungarian lands.
To add insult to injury, the clever and duplicitous Austrians stole a march on Hungary gained what became the Burgenland (formerly known as West Hungary) at their former ally’s expense. Oddly, I have never heard a single Hungarian lament the lands lost to Austria despite the fact this led to an armed uprising. One memorable result of the uprising was a plebiscite where two-thirds of the inhabitants in the city of Sopron (Odenburg) voted to remain in Hungary. Perhaps this small win for Hungary amid all its other postwar territorial losses was enough to mitigate any lingering bitterness. Today, Hungarians share the same starry-eyed admiration for Austria that has made it the gold standard of nations in Europe. This admiration betrays little hint of just how difficult relations between Hungary and Austria have been in the past. A Hungarian once told me they see Austrians as their brothers-in-law, then added, “but we didn’t like them either.” Hungarians have numerous historical reasons to hold grudges against Austrians. They are not the only ones.
Habsburgs over Hungary – Coronation of Franz Joseph I at Matthias Church, Buda
Left Unspoken – Waldheim’s World
The First World War would not be the first, nor the last time, that Austria did better than they had any right to expect from a situation they helped instigate. Statecraft has always been one of Austria’ specialties. Personally, I find something Austria’s duplicitous behavior distasteful. They always manage to get off easy compared to the wrongs they have committed. Austria’s trickery has fooled many others who were not Hungarians. For instance, Austrians have portrayed themselves as victims of Nazi Germany’s excesses. Their argument is that Hitler’s Anschluss was irresistible because of the Third Reich’s military power. Left unsaid is that many Austrians agreed with assimilation into a greater Reich. That was the most expedient course of action at the time. When it was no longer expedient after the Second World War. Austria suddenly became a victim. This volte-face approach managed to seduce the west, which was less concerned about punishing Austria, and more focused on helping it achieve neutrality as a buffer state against the Eastern Bloc. The Austrians used this to secure themselves a peaceful coexistence with both sides.
The essence of Austria’s duplicitous behavior was native son Kurt Waldheim, who first ascended to the position of Secretary General of the United Nations and later to the presidency of Austria. While campaigning for the presidency, Waldheim’s role in Nazi atrocities leaked out. This included a stint at the Jasenovac concentration camp in Yugoslavia where he denied knowledge of the horrific crimes against humanity that took place there. The most remarkable aspect of Waldheim’s amnesia was not his cynicism, but that the rest of the world had been gullible (or culpable) enough to believe him. This same type of duplicitous behavior continues with the current Austrian government, which remained notably silent about Russia’s war in Ukraine. The not so dirty little secret is that Austria continues to make a mint off its economic connections to Russia. These examples prove that Austria abuses the trust other nations place in it.
Splendor and Gloom – Austria under the cover of clouds (Credit: Thomas Pintaric)
Throwing Shade – From The Top Down
Austria is the one country in my lost lands itinerary that is as much a source of depression as it is fascination. I view Austria as an opportunistic nation that plays by its own cleverly devised rules, or more precisely, malevolent ruses. How they manage to do this repeatedly without ever getting called out is a tribute to their sleight of hand diplomatic machinations. It is not hard to see how the Austrian led Habsburg Empire ruled over such a large swath of central and eastern Europe for hundreds of years. In any deal, economic, geopolitical or otherwise, Austria always finds a way to come out on top. I cannot help but believe that vanity plays a large role in Austria’s influence with its friends and foes. An alliance with Austria is like marrying a millionaire who then demands you pay their bills. All of this throws shade on my journey to the lost lands of Historic Hungary in the Burgenland. That said, there are still aspects of this overlooked part of Austria that I look forward to exploring further in depth.
Click here for: Split Ends – Neusiedler See’s Inflows & Outflows (The Lost Lands #47)
Europe Between East And West 