ABSTRACT
In the first days after the end of the Second World War, all Austrians were forbidden to travel. After 1946, a “confirmation from the National Socialist Registration Office” had to be presented with a passport application; only those who were not members or candidates of the Nazi Party were permitted to leave the country. Just as before the Second World War, Argentina was considered one of the most important countries for Austrian immigrants up until Austria’s independence in 1955. The division of Austria by the four occupation powers (France, Soviet Union, Great Britain and the U.S.) meant that in addition to different legislation there were different guidelines in the handling of war criminals. De-Nazification in Austria was undertaken jointly by the four occupation powers and the three parties in the Austrian Parliament.
