ABSTRACT
The struggle for the political and economic independence of Austria commenced and was also fought in the media realm. The Austrian government, which by that time had acquired an authoritarian character, could do little to coun teract the pressure. Prohibitions of Nazi propaganda in their own country had little effect as the economic dependence of most sectors of the Austrian media system forced them to orient themselves to the dictates of the stronger Germany. Austrian writers, in turn, anticipated large profits from the German market, and the majority of them organized themselves into pro-Germ an associations. The penetration of the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung into the Austrian media market has awakened the interest of other Federal Republic of Germany media concerns. The dependence of Austrian media products on the West German market is particularly pronounced with respect to books. In the film industry there also exists a long history of close relations between Austria and Germany.
