Günter Bischof Boeken

On August 20, 1968, a massive deployment of Soviet and East European forces invaded Czechoslovakia to quash the 'Prague Spring' reforms and restore a strict Communist regime. Initially hesitant, Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev ultimately decided that military intervention was necessary after months of deliberation. Within 24 hours of the invasion, troops from the Soviet Union, Poland, Hungary, and Bulgaria established complete control, effectively ending the hopes for 'socialism with a human face.' Although Alexander Dubcek and other reformers were briefly reinstated, their main task from late August 1968 to April 1969 was to reverse the reforms. By April 1969, Dubcek was ousted permanently, marking the definitive end of the Prague Spring. Soviet leaders defended the invasion by claiming it was their 'right' and 'sacred duty' to protect socialism in Czechoslovakia. While the invasion caused some rifts within the Communist bloc, it largely succeeded in achieving Soviet objectives. The United States and NATO allies protested but did not take direct military action, leading historians to analyze this critical moment in the Cold War using new archival evidence. They also explore the U.S. response and whether Washington inadvertently signaled approval to the Soviet Union before the invasion.

After Stalin's death, during a respite in Cold War tensions in 1955, Austria managed to rid itself of a quadripartite occupation regime and become a neutral state. As the Cold War continued, Austria's policy of neutrality helped make this small country into an important mediator of East-West differences, and neutrality became a crucial part of Austria's postwar identity. In the post-Cold War era Austrian neutrality seems to demand redefinition. The work addresses such issues as what neutrality means when Austria's neighbors are joining NATO? What is the difference between Austrian neutrality in 1955 and 2000? In remaining apart from NATO, do Austrian elites risk their nation's national security? Is Austria a "free rider," too stingy to contribute to Western defense? Has the neutralist mentalit become such a crucial part of Austrian postwar identity that its abandonment will threaten civil society? These questions are addressed in this latest in the prestigious Contemporary Austrian Studies series. The volume emerged from the Wittgenstein Research Center project on "Discourse, Politics, and Identity," an interdisciplinary investigation of the meaning of Austrian neutrality. The first two chapters analyze the current meaning of Austrian neutrality. Karin Liebhart records narrative interviews with former presidents Rudolf Kirchschlger and Kurt Waldheim, both central political actors present at the creation and implementation of Austria's postwar neutrality. Gertraud Benke and Ruth Wodak provide in-depth analysis of a debate on Austrian National Television on "NATO and Neutrality," a microcosm of Austrian popular opinion that exposed all positions and ideological preferences on neutrality. The historian Oliver Rathkolb surveys international perceptions of Austrian neutrality over the past half-century. For comparative contrast David Irwin and John Wilson apply Foucault's theoretical framework to the history and debates on neutrality in Ireland. Political scientists Heinz Grtner and Paul Luif provide examples of how Austrian neutrality has been handled in the past and today. Michael Gehler analyzes Austria's response to the Hungarian crisis of 1956 and Klaus Eisterer reviews the Austrian legation's handling of the 1968 Czechoslovak crisis. Gnter Bischof is professor of history and executive director of Center Austria at the University of New Orleans. Anton Pelinka is professor of political science at the University of Innsbruck and director of the Institute of Conflict Research in Vienna. Ruth Wodak is professor in the linguistics department at the University of Vienna and director of the research center "Discourse, Politics, Identity" at the Austrian Academy of Science.

Focusing on the transition from the Habsburg Empire to the Republic, this collection of 18 essays examines the challenges faced by Austria in the aftermath of World War I. It shifts the narrative from the rise of the Habsburg dynasty to the complexities of the empire's collapse and the formation of a new republic in 1919. The contributors explore various aspects of this pivotal moment in Austrian history, providing insights into the socio-political landscape of the time.

Österreichische Einwanderung in die USA Die vorliegende Publikation beleuchtet das Thema der Migration von Österreichern in die USA genauer, das bis heute ein immer noch sehr unerforschtes Gebiet ist. Seit kurzer Zeit erlebt die Forschung allerdings einen neuen Aufschwung, es herrscht großes Interesse vor allem in der Biografieforschung. Die vorliegenden Beiträge basieren auf einer Tagung, die im Juni 2015 in Wien zum gleichnamigen Thema stattgefunden hat. Es handelt sich hauptsächlich um Fallstudien über emigrierte Österreicher, die ihre Heimat aus wirtschaftlichen, politischen oder karrieretechnischen Gründen verlassen haben. Alle mussten sich mit einer schwierigen Einwanderungspolitik der USA auseinandersetzen, trotzdem ist den meisten von ihnen eine erfolgreiche Integration in die amerikanische Gesellschaft gelungen. Die Autoren beziehen sich teilweise auf ein 1968 erschienenes Buch von E. Wilder Spaulding The Quiet Invaders, erschienen im Bundesverlag Wien, der die These vertrat, dass emigrierte Österreicher ohne großes Aufsehen in die USA eingewandert sind und sich schnell dem American Way of Life angepasst haben. Sie haben keine sogenannte Österreicher-Lobby gegründet, sondern haben schnell die englische Sprache gelernt und auch sonst nicht resolut an Traditionen festgehalten. Spaulding zufolge, haben auch vor allem die Jüdinnen und Juden, die vor dem Nazi-Regime flüchteten, einen großen Beitrag für die amerikanische Wirtschaft geleistet, da der Großteil sehr gut ausgebildet und begabt war. Die EinwandererInnen aus Österreich haben sich also schnell dem amerikanischen Leben angepasst und ihre Identität und Lebensweise einer Amerikanischen integriert. Austrian Migration to the United States The essays in this book argue that the United States served as a great attraction for economic betterment to Austrian migrants before and World War I; yet a third of these migrants actually remigrated. Remigration was less likely after World War I as the economic situation deteriorated in Europe and the political situation landscape became desperate for Jews and the opponents of the Hitler regime. Most of the Austrians migrating to the U.S. in the World War II era stayed. For the roughly 30,000 Jews who had been brutally kicked out of their homes after the Anschluss and managed to snag immigration papers to the U.S., returning to desperately poor and still anti-Semitic Austria was not an option. These case studies show that integrating and assimilating into the American mainstream often was a difficult process that might take two generations. Many of the intellectuals and academics never fully felt at home in the U.S. as they viewed American culture shallow and American values too materialistic. Integration/assimilation never was as smooth a process as E. Wilder Spaulding asserted in his classic book Quiet Invaders (1968).

The position of women in Austrian society, politics, and in the economy follows the familiar trajectory of Western societies. They were expected to accept their "proper place" in a male patriarchal world. Achieving equality in all spheres of life was a long struggle that is still not completed in spite of many advances. The chapters in Women in Austria attest to the growing interest and vibrancy in the area of women's studies in Austria and present a cross-section of new research in this field to an international audience. The volume includes with book reviews on Austrian business history, the Waldheim memoirs, Jews in postwar Austria, and political scandals in twentieth-century Austria. Women in Austria covers a plethora of significant social issues and will be essential to the work of women's studies scholars, sociologists, historians, and Austrian area specialists.

On June 5, 1947, George C. Marshall delivered a speech in Harvard that was to change the world. With that speech, the U. S. Secretary of State and close confidant of President Truman ushered in the European Recovery Program (ERP), which soon burgeoned into the most successful political project in U. S. and European history. Underwritten by the American taxpayer, an unbelievable $14 billion was made available between 1948 and 1952 for the Marshall Plan, money that continues to have multiple benefits for Austria’s state, economy and society.

The present volume chronicles Austrian immigration to the United States against the backdrop of bilateral relations between the two countries, across the centuries. While it shows the larger themes and epochs in the ongoing relationship, the individuals that came to America and made their contributions over time are also highlighted. The book is accompanied by a website that provides additional information and multimedia content, allowing for a more complete picture of Austrians in the United States over time.