Retrospect

Austria’s history is characterised by a long period of monarchy, in particular by the Habsburg family. During the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy (from 1867) there was a rise of the middle class, there were the beginnings of parliamentarianism, parties arose and universal male suffrage was introduced in 1907 (women were not given the vote in Austria until 1918).

After the First World War (1914 – 1918) the empire split into individual nation states, the First Republic (1918 – 1938) with the name Austria was founded.  In 1920 the Austrian constitution was created and the first general elections were held. As a result, the Christian Social Party, the Social Democratic Workers’ Party of German Austria and German nationalist parties were represented in parliament. The government was formed by the Christian Social Party, the Social Democrats were in opposition. After an increasing hardening of political views between the Christian Social politicians and the Social Democratic Party, in 1934 the democratic fabric was reconfigured under Federal Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuß to create a state with authoritarian structures: the government was given absolute power, and only one party was allowed, the Fatherland Front. This form of government was unable to survive under the pressure of the emerging National Socialism in Germany and Austria, however. Despite attempts to guarantee Austria’s independence, on 12 March 1938 the country was annexed to Hitler’s Germany. One month later a national referendum – carried out by the National Socialists with pressure on the population – confirmed this fact with an overwhelming majority.

The Second Republic

After the Second World War the constitution of 1920 was reintroduced and Austria was given back its borders from before 1938. In 1945 there were already free general elections, and here the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), successor of the Christian Social Party, emerged as the winner.

The first years of the Second Republic were characterised by reconstruction. Until 1955 the country was governed by four occupying Allied powers (Great Britain, France, Soviet Union, United States) in cooperation with the government. With the State Treaty signed in 1955, Austria regained its state sovereignty and the occupying powers left the country. In this treaty, Austria committed itself to perpetualneutrality, which is still stipulated in the constitution today. Until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, in terms of foreign affairs Austria had a bridging or buffer function between Western Europe and the states of the Eastern bloc.

After the Second World War, Austrian domestic policy was shaped by the two major parties, the ÖVP and the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) and also by the bodies of the social partnership (chambers, trade unions). The inclusion of the social partners in political decisions led to broad consensus in all important socio-political and economic questions. While this was reflected in very stable labour relations on the one hand, the system was also criticised as cumbersome and even undemocratic.

On 7 July 1989 Austria applied for membership of the European Union (EU). On 12 June 1994 there was a national referendum on the entry: 66% of the Austrian electorate voted in favour. Austria joined the EU on 1 January 1995 (Law on Austria’s Accession to the European Union – EU Treaty of Accession). In Austria this is seen as one of the most important political events in the Second Republic.

The socio-political changes of the 1980s and 1990s, e.g. with new social movements such as the “peace movement” and the “anti-nuclear movement”, led to a livelier party system. New parties, such as The Greens, The Liberal Forum and The NEOS – The New Austria, emerged. The Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) was also able to constantly increase its share of the vote from 1986 onwards.

Current situation

In the last general election on 29 September 2019, 75,6% of the electorate voted, which is 4,4% percent less than in 2017. The ÖVP received most votes with 37.5%. Fore details please see here.

Source: Federal Ministry of the Interior, in-house calculations 

On 7 January 2020 the Federal Government (coalition between ÖVP – New People’s Party and Green Party) was sworn in by the Federal President.