ABSTRACT
Austria was long considered the prime example of consociational democracy and undoubtedly came closest to resembling that type of political system between 1945 and 1966, which this chapter termed the classic phase of Austrian consociationalism. It establishes whether it is still appropriate to label the Austrian political system consociational. The chapter evaluates the extent of change, it was necessary to identify the central features of Austrian politics during classic consociationalism and to trace their subsequent development. It examines six interrelated core characteristics of Austrian politics up to the mid-1960s. They include what one might term both primary and secondary features of consociationalism and were chosen because together they determined not only the actual conduct of Austrian politics during this period, but also the characterisation of the Austrian polity by the international academic community. The contribution by Plasser, Ulram and Grausgruber establishes the encapsulated subcultures characterised by Lager-mentality and mutual hostility are no longer predominant.
