ABSTRACT

Taboos and other self-deceptions have an ambivalent protective function. In view of the real options in 1945, it seems necessary to understand the reasons why the taboos of not mentioning Austrian co-responsibility or the Austrian roots of National Socialism were created. The Second Austrian Republic is built on a one-sided, and therefore distorted, view of historical reality. Austria attempted to uncouple itself from the fate of Germany. There is a direct path from the Declaration of Independence to the State Treaty and neutrality, a path marked by emphasizing the unique character of Austria versus that of Germany. The political culture of the postwar period was characterized by the fact that instead of a political market a permanent power monopoly was created. Instead of the willingness to take risks, securing and stabilizing existing conditions became Austria’s goal. Out of the neurotic conflicts among the different nationalities at the end of the Austrian monarchy a specific brand of Austrian National Socialism arose.