hmm I dont know how the EU works in 2020 and I know Austria isn't apart of it but is it pretty passive ..??? like germans and others can go in and out of there borders with Austria ..??? there is obs a lot of free trade and would the EU military assist Austria ??? what if some country invaded poor little Austria im guessing technical no EU country could help them ..???
One day Austria will once again unite with Germany. Why? Because the right is once again rising all over Europe. German nationalism is returning. Austrians are Germans, and they know it. All that is left to do now is to purge the American puppets from the German and Austrian governments, American troops deployed into Germany, and mobilize. Mark my words, it will happen again. There’s a common theme seen throughout history, that being it tends to repeat itself. Empires have risen and fallen & sometimes rising yet again 100-200 years later. It is inevitable. The migrant crisis in Europe ensured the return of Europeanism and to be fair, I am happy to see it. Give it another ten years. The EU will collapse and we will be once again back to where we were in the 1930’s.
@@ericbooth3393 Disagree. 1 - Racial nationalism will decrease as cultures mix more. People who live and grow up with each other understand each other more and don't fear each other. 2 - Europe is wary of large scale wars between each other and imperialist wars (like the world wars) have ground to a hault, cultures are no longer interested in taking over one another. The only wars I foresee in Europe are those of independence or relatively small uprising but only if there are poor conditions. e.g. Scottish independence would never get to a violent stage. 3 - Economics - Trade is so intertwined in Europe that it'll do much more long term damage.
My father was with the American occupation police forces in Vienna and told stories about how the occupation police in 1945 would have one soldier from each of the four occupying powers. They rarely had a common language and if they did, it was broken German.
Key factor for the Soviets giving up on eastern Austria that wasn't mentioned: A neutral, united Austria created a buffer between NATO West Germany and NATO Italy, making it difficult for Italy to quickly assist in a war in Germany. With a NATO West Austria, no buffer.
Pretty sure NATO wouldn't care with the 'buffer' issue as NATO had been managing quite well with Belarus and Kaliningrad that stood on the way between Lithuania and Poland
Kind of....you see NATO had a plan to place Nato troops in Austria within 8 hours of initial war against Warsaw pact, not only that but if the war broke out Austria would still be on the side of NATO
Austria would just make firearms like the Steyr Aug and curtain rod factory turned iconic handgun Glock. Centuries of amazing firearm engineering continues
The Soviet Union put a lot of effort into russification. There was no sign of anything nonrussian in their occupation zone. The idea was the creation of a homo sovieticus as can be seen in the newly settled places (Crimea, Kaliningrad, Eastern Poland and partially in the Baltic states).
He meant that in the West it's okay to call the USSR Russia, but in Russia itself and the USSR it sounds strange. Some people there even think that "real Russia died in 1917, the modern one is a fake state"
@@sxbcdbfxs7069 The state of Zarist Russia is mostly the same with the Soviet Union. Soviet meaning a form of gouvernment. So for say Usbek people they know that the nationalist case makes Russia and Soviet Union similar. So, where is the difference? Only if you tie "Russia" to the Zarist gouvernment.
I love your program, because you also tackle topics that are difficult to overlook and are largely overlooked. I look forward to your documentary on Ireland and The Troubles. Keep doing good job and never stop.
I studied abroad in Austria last year. Interestingly enough, my campus was very close to where U.S. and Soviet armies first met when they occupied the country. Passed by the monument while I was on the bus from Vienna back to campus. The whole time this Austrian man who had been living in the area since, I presume, the war ended was telling us all about this. Watching this video makes this feel way too surreal.
Thanks for this! The wikipedia article related to this was sorely lacking and any other sources I reviewed never tied it together as well! Love you and your teams work!
That is because of a lady from the former USSR who is "crusading" on Wikipedia to "purge it" of all "Fascist" references. Saw an article on her on NPR. The Cold War continues on the World Wide Web. Remember folks, the Soviets believe that ANYONE who isn't Communist is a Fascist.
Not to forget, Germany might have missed the chance of getting reunified (Stalin note (1952)) in the 1950s by becoming a neutral state just like Austria.
Germany was far too gone by then. Remember LOTS of Germans had been members of the Nazi Party. The allies finally found their man in an elderly flower clerk who somehow escaped the notice of the Nazis (lucky for him!) Unfortunately I can't spell his name but he was instrumental in steering Germany towards a Free Market State and Democratic rule. Perhaps it was wise to keep Germany separate because even BEFORE WW2 the Communists were trying to stage a coup in one way or another. Frankly the "eastern lands" were marginal at best. The BEST of Germany is in her Western half so the Soviets got royally ripped off 😆
@@christianfreedom-seeker934 You mean Konrad Adenauer? He was actually the Lord Mayor of Cologne from around the end of the royalty era until the Nazis dismissed him soon after getting power. Dr. Adenauer was likely the greatest leader Germany had in the 20th Century apart from maybe Helmut Kohl. The man rebuilt the western country, created an economy so strong it was among the best in Europe by the early to mid 50s, won over so much trust from the Allies that they let the German armed forces be reborn, and even negotiated a settlement with the Soviets to return POWs and get recognition (this put Khrushchev in a very awkward position, as he now recognized two German governments). If Germany had been made neutral, there's a chance that radicals reemerge. Unlike Austria, this would have been incredibly dangerous and risky. While the Berlin Wall was sickening, West Germany becoming a NATO member and west-friendly may have saved the entire country's whole future.
The original paper of the treaty they signed to this day is kept in Moskau. (There's only a copy in Austria. That goes to show how important the treaty and it's neutrality was to the Soviets)
I wish, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary and other coutries which were under soviet occupation followed same fate as Austria. When I compare my country (Slovakia) I always see the economical difference between us and Austria caused by long years of comminist occupation. I am glad at least Austria made it. :) Cheers
Slovakia is my favourite European country following my last visit in December. I hope to return when the pandemic finishes to go tramping in the Tatra mountains.
West looks at you as an inferior, so until you understand this, you will have pink glasses. Slovakia didnt enter EU or NATO to its benefit, but to the Western benefit. Economical difference is because of huge looting in 90s, installment of antinational elites by US and NATO, along with incessant propaganda about freedom of only allowed liberal idea. Stop thinking the West is any source of freedom, the West has taken quasi-cmmunist ideology as some casus belli against the rest of the world. Real world is very different compared to official narratives. Commies were bad but the West embraces this tunnel into nowhere. NATO now serves as western imperial occupation. NATO controls the media narrative. NATO wants expansion, even though warsaw pact is long gone. Nobody needed antagonism against Russia by NATO expansion, by wars and other provocative behavior that is full of double standard. Westerners take us for cannon fodder and widening of their market. Our agriculture was destroyed by western ideologues and agents through excessive western subsidy of their sector. What do you think is it about in Ukraine ? Democracy ? Who controls the media drives how majority thinks for some reason. Liberal dictatorship ? No problem ? Freedom is not liberal.
According to local Austrian folklore the main reason we gained independence was that our politicians managed to be better at drinking then the Russians.
I am sad there was no reference to the Third Man. It's an awesome British Noir film set and mostly filmed in occupied Vienna. You get to see all the rubble and the remains of damaged buildings from the war. Also the occupation zones play into the narrative in a way. Vienna had the same problem as Berlin where you could pass between Allied zones rather easily, but Soviet zones...were another story. I'd recommend it if you are interested in what parts of Vienna looked like in the late 1940's, plus it is great movie.
Are you sure you aren't getting it mixed up with Touch of Evil, Lady from Shanghai, or Citizen Kane? The director of the Third Man is Carol Reed. Joseph Cotten (who is also American) is actually the star with Wells showing up toward the end of the movie. Most of if not all the production staff are British except the leads. You can tell within a few minutes of watching that it's not an American Noir. The biggest giveaway is the soundtrack, which is way too bombastic for an American Noir. The music works for the movie, but is definitely strange if you are used to American Noir.
@@jvad007 ruclips.net/video/opiaGrRLtQ4/видео.html The soundtrack is pure genius. It is not quite British though. But one has to credit the producers for the audacity to engage an Austrian Zitter-player to compose and play the entire soundtrack. It created a very unique experience and an outstanding soundtrack (literally).
@@sagichnicht6748 Wow, I guess I should have looked into a bit further. Still a great soundtrack and very surprising that they had an Austrian composer that early after the war.
I love this channel as well as Kings and Generals, as soon as I am able I will start becoming a patreon partner. I could binge watch this all day, keep up the great work!
True Austria was responsible for war crimes however Austria is just ONE example of Britain and France’s culpability in CREATING a German juggernaut. They could have Hitler in 1936, when he crossed into the Rhineland. They could have stopped Nazi Germany during the annexation of Austria because the Austrians were to hold a plebiscite on whether to become part of the Reich. The Austrian leader at the time, Kurt Von Schuschnigg, wanted an independent Austria. Hitler them invaded because he was “saving Austrian Nazis from persecution” but, in reality, he believed the vite would not go Germany’s way. They had a chance to stop him at the Sudetenland in Czechoslavakia. They had a chance when he invaded the rest of Czechoslavakia. By the time he got to Poland, they STILL had a chance. Stalin was STILL seeking an alliance to stop Hitler. The UK and France kept saying no. Once the non aggression treaty was signed between the Nazis and the USSR, it was over. Yes Nazi Germany started WWII but France and the UK were just as culpable. I LOVE this channel by the way. The Cold War is a very forgotten period of time that was actually a very critical time in history. Keep up the good work.
I have passed through and around Vienna many times on my way to Germany and I am always astonished by the huge oil refinery in the eastern outskirts of the city...
Until the mid 60's Austria had to send oil to the USSR as part of reparations (around 100 million tons of oil were received by the USSR after 1955) And in 1949 Austria was the 3rd largest oil producer in central europe after the USSR and Romania.
In austria we see Leopold Figl as a national hero and to this day his party still dominates austrian politics, I actually got to meet a Person who lived in Sowjet occumpied austria and she told us about how cruel the russian soliders where, they raped, stole and she even told us that once a russian came into the kitchen and took all the spices and sugar and what not and pissed on it, of course not all russians where this cruel, most of them probably acted this way because of the horrors they had seen in the war, austria had a hard time in the 40s and 50s but we survived and now we are stronger then ever
Basically similar to what the Americans did after the liberation of Germany to the point that women raped by US soldiers contributed roughly 5% of the estimated Germany's post-war births
A "SHOUT-OUT" To The Fact That Vienna, Being Such A Hotbed For Espionage On BOTH Sides Of The Cold War, To Become The Inspiration For The Film "THE THIRD MAN" (And Filmed At That Very Time And Place,) Would Have Been Great!
Compare the fate of Austria to that of Czechoslovakia. Three differences come to mind: 1. Communists did well in the first post-war parliamentary elections in Czechoslovakia getting 38% of the vote. 2. In the Czechoslovak government, Communists had infiltrated key ministries including defense and the police and purged non-communists from their ranks. 3. President Benes, unlike Renner in Austria, was perhaps a broken man having endured the Munich debacle, French duplicity, the callous and delusional interference of th British in his nation's affairs and he had maintained a government in exile thru the war that at times had only lukewarm Allied support. Benes, like Renner had worked hard to gain Soviet trust and support as the war began to wind down but all of Czechoslovakia was occupied by Soviet troops. And even though those troops were withdrawn before the 1948 February coup by then the communist we're entrenched and their subversive activities, like staged demonstrations, had an impact on public views however briefly. When the Soviets realized they were certain to lose seats in parliament in the next election, not gain them, Stalin ordered the coup. The plight of Czechoslovakia was a wake-up call to the Americans who had as yet no plan to counter Soviet subversion across Europe and had intended to disband the OSS (precursor to CIA). Thus American money began to pour into European parliamentary elections, anti-communist propaganda was stepped up and CIA counterintelligence took on th Soviet threat directly. The Czech coup can be credited with convincing those in Congress reluctant t to support Marshall Plan legislation that they must vote for it.
I think it should be pointed out that an independent neutral Austria wasn't just the result of Sovjets loosing the game and leaving as there was nothing more to gain but rather the best option for Russia for the long term, right from the start. Russia did plunder the territories it occupied but turning East Austria into an east block puppet state would have been a bad idea from getgo. While Austria as a whole had the potential to be a self sustaining political entity, just the east on its own was not and Russia clearly wanted to prevent the rise of a new Anschluss movement in Austria due to a bleak outlook. On the other side, a communist east meant basically a US dominated west (and later NATO integration). That would have been a bad deal for Russia as the flat east was of little military value (as it was easy to conquer and hard to defend), while Austrias west was the opposite, extremely hard to conquer and easy to defend. The best option here was a united Austria with lasting neutrality, therefore no US forces in the Austrian Alps. At the same time, the east of Austria could have been easily reconquered if need be in case of a cold war turning hot. Stalin might have still been reluctant to see it exactly that way but his predecessors clearly did. Another point is Vienna. It was not like Berlin actually. There were 4 zones, yes. But the 1st district was part of none of these 4 zones but rather an international zone controlled by all 4 together. In Berlin the Russians controlled the old centre. In Vienna they controlled actually fairly little, only a few eastern districts, not the population hotspots even though they hosted some industry.
10:24 Actually some help was sent to Austria from Czechoslovakia, particularly from Moravia. The local communist liked to remind people of this help well into the 50s with narrative shifting to selfless help of a socialist state to failing capitalists. This rhetoric was very effective - my father, who wasn't even born at the time the help was given, belives that we singlehandedly saved Vienna from starvation. He, of course, remains completely ignorant in knowing what the state of affairs was in Austria at the time and that much of that suffering was soviet inflicted.
There are two movies set in Vienna citra 1951. First is the "Third Man" starring Orson Welles. The second is "Three (soldiers) in a jeep. Both movies should be available from the usual sources.
During the blockade of Berlin, Western allies in Vienna prepared plan to supply the western part of the city (west of the Danube, that is) from the air, just as they did in Berlin. Fortunately, the blockade of Vienna never happened, since it would have probably overstretched allied airlift capabilities.
Why the Soviets had a lack of information and somewhat less interest in Afghanistan (almost making it a void) if some say they wanted to make a pipeline there???
The Soviet campaign in Afghanistan was largely about influence in Central Asia rather than a pipeline, as having a successful uprising against a communist government just south of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, etc. was not a good omen and some worried it may spur a popular uprising.
@@scoutgamer9448 From what I've read it was more about containment and the incompetent Brezhnev regime's attempt at a popular war (oh how that backfired miserably), but if I were you I'd do your own reading on it. If you want I could recommend a few sources.
David - another good country profile that suffered in the east paying war reparation, visit Austria today ( 1995 - 2020) and there is a growing German population into area's that hold history's brutality from 1938 onwards.
Great video. I didn't know most of these details. I grew up hearing the few times Austria was mentioned, that it was the 'first victim' of the Nazis. What baloney. And probably most of what I learned about the period of occupation was from Carol Reed's The Third Man. (I got a new DVD version in about 2000. I told my son to sit down and watch it with me. He saw black and white and said, 'No thanks, dad." I insisted, then I got irate - I was being pretty awful. Finally in a harrumph he sat down scowling. This new version started with the opening mentioning the black market and how there was 'little room for amateurs' then showing the corpse in the river. First time I'd seen this version. Wow. I knew I totally had my son's interest. So of course I apologized and said he didn't have to watch it. Finally he told me to just shut up. Some part of him knew all along I was up to something. He watched it another 18 times. A question I have about Austria is that I can't ever remember seeing in any film shot in or about Austria a Thonet Chair. As I'm sure you know Michael Thonet's Chairs were the first flat pack (like Ikea) chairs made in Austria since 1858. They're in just about every other movie made world wide. And finally. The channel looks great. The settings used for the main office set are wonderful. From this old photographer -- well done.
Not sure what your question about the Thonet chairs and Austria is about, but the Thonet chairs were famous for beeing very elegant steam bent wooden chairs. Not for beeing flat packed. And while i have never tried to spot them in any movies that feature austrian sights, You would have to have the scene filmed in an actual vienese coffe house to feature them. Also the factory in Austria (the one in vienna) was completely destroyed during and the manufacturing of Thonet chairs in Austria started again in 1962. As for the narrative to be the first victim. Which was the first country germany "expanded" into? I think that was the root where that narrative came from. The country itself was the first victim. Not all it's inhabitants. But it got widened on them too (by themselves). I think it is a common human trade that people don't like to admit errors they have made. The same goes for the austrian people. It is easier to admit that ancestors did something wrong. (although you find lot's of people/nations all around the world who are not able to admit even that.) The other thing why the people back then saw this narrative legitimized was that after the Anschluß, most members of other political parties or anybody who criticized the authorities were imprisoned ect. Mr. Figl who was shown in the video for example spend WW2 as an inmate of a concentration camp. Not for his religion, and he was not the only pre and post WW2 politician in austria to do so... He died in 1965 due to illnesses that had their origin in the treatment he got in the camp. It wasn't all fun and games for the common "siltent" people either. They consctantly were in fear of getting denounced by a greedy or disgruntled neighbour they often hid handicapped relatives to keep them from euthanasia ect...So they saw themselves as victims. (i think i would describe the attitude of most of them a bit like "it wasn't what we signed up for")
can you do a video on the independence war of Bangladesh in 1971 against Pakistani occupiers?? it was a significant conflict during the cold war which could seriously boil up the situation and turn the conflict from a regional to a global one... I believe David will put some light on the war I mentioned
Hoped they discuss about it but if they did, I hoped they talked about the Gonohotta and Operation Searchlight as it was the biggest massacre ever committed in 21st century yet very few talked or actually know about it. Even though US involvement in the massacre was quite obvious
Great Video!! Do you guys intend to make a video about Latin American coups and revolutions during these times? I'm brazilian, so I would love to hear about the 1964 coup and the military regime that followed. Good luck, and keep up the hard work, you guys are doing great!!
I learned a lot from watching this, and loved all of it... *except* the off-axis camera angles that have inexplicably become so common last year. Maybe I'm just old and not hip "with it" any more, but I just want to scream, "yo! presenter dude! I'm OVER HERE". I mean, even President Trump's last few video messages used this technique, so it's not like you're doing something uniquely strange, I just, well, hate it. And since this is the internet \0/ I get to gripe about it to you, here! Cheers, and I look forward to that video of you eating spätzle.
You forgot to mention the 1950 General strikes. It was a significant event that could have had massive influence if the trade unions hadn't called it off, although it wasn't a putsch as sometimes claimed.
If I'm not mistaken, Graz (as the 2nd largest city) was also "quartered" in the same way... Thus there were Viennese and Grazer Austrians living in a mega district occupied by one power, while simultaneously living in a quarter of their city occupied by another competing power, ie the USSR.
Post-war situations are really interesting and often overlooked subject matter. Are you planning on doing a video or videos about Operation Gladio? By witch I mean the secret nato stay behind guerilla troops and operations? Finland has released new intel on that operation, but it spanned through all none Warsaw pact nations and from ww2 to the nineteen's and maybe even to the present day.
Renner´s secret was that he was capable to drink all those Russian Generals who were in charge under the table and the Russians simply respected him for that despite the fact that Renner himself was a former retired General of the Austrian Empire as well and therefore he had a naturally good touch on those Russian Generals by speaking "from Soldier to Soldier" so to say....therefore he could always achieve little victories when the drinking level raised during negotiations which at the very end prevented Austria to become an eastern block satellite state as like as all those other eastern European states who got "liberated" by Russia during WWII..
@frandm1987 This "inter-Allied zone in Vienna" was the historic center of Vienna, the 1st district with the imperial court, the parliament, the city hall, all ministeries, the state opera, the cathedral etc. This zone was under common rule by all Allies, but the actual command changed by each month. Weired and totally different from the Berlin situation.
They were not asked at all, as they stil were forbidden to even enter the country at this point. All stil part of the treaty of Versailles. No member of the Habsburg family may be in any form of an Austrian government, and to prevent that, they were even forbidden to enter Austrian territory.
@Shiro Hige during wartime he lived in Washington,DC and worked to form a free, independent Austria. But as heir to the Habsburg throne he didn't resign his succsession and so he was forbitten to enter Austria by Austrian law (he resigned,I guess, late 70s or 80s). He sattled in Bavaria, Germany, till his dead. As heir he recived the last "Imperial" funeral. He was working as politican in Germany and was a founding fater of Pan Europa. His oldest son, Karl, resigned at a young age and lives in Austria. He became a officer in the Austrian Army, Show Host on TV and is now a businessman.
They sorta tried in Hungary and Hungary kinda turned it down so they wouldn’t get invaded lol. But technically Hungary was a regency until German invasion
Just look at their channel. They talk about the Sovietization of Eastern European countries, the various events happening after the war, etc. Subscribe to them if they hasn't covered a topic yet, they will do it eventually.
Very disappointed that you failed to mention even one word about how the British military handed over hundreds of Russians (many of them Don Cossacks) at the end of the war in Austria. They gave them over to the Red Army in Lienz. Women through themselves off the bridge and drowned, along with their children rather than be tortured and slaughtered by Stalin. An old book might help you research this. Title: Nezabyvaemoye (Unforgettable) by Nicholas Krasnov II written in the early 1950s. This was followed by another expose book entitled "Victims of Yalta: The True Story of one of the Most Shameful Episodes of WWII" by Nikolai Tolstoy (1977). No discussion of postwar Austria is honest or complete which either ignores or mistakenly omits this horror.
Je me souviens,lorsque j'etais enfant,que les nuits de brouillard on entendait des tirs sur le lac Neusiedl,qui separe l'Autriche de la Hongrie.C'etaient les patrouilles qui tiraient sur les Civils Hongrois qui essayaient de passer en Autriche .Un souvenir qui fait froid dans le dos.
Per the partition of Germany/Austria. When the idea of France having a '%' of both was brought up to Stalin, Stalin adamantly said no way - i.e. "...if you USA/UK want to have them share in the partitions you can take it out of your own already allotted zones - we're not giving up an inch."
The background music around 10:55 sounds like it should be in a Kevin Spacey movie. I've heard it many times before in K&G related vids, i like it; very existential!
Every country needs to atone... not just externally, but also internally. If anyone tries to dispute that point, then that's fine... but they'll still be wrong.
Sry to hear that. But just remember, in another alternative timeline, Hungary gained their freedom like Austria. I hope you're happy now. Have a nice day from Austria. c:
i always thought how would things be different if the western allies never landed in normady but instead Greece then push up through Serbia and then Austria … that would of been somewhat quicker and prob confuse the soviets that at the same time this is going on prob just pushing into Romania and Poland … the only negative would be i think it would of gave the soviets more time to go straight towards berlin and then take Denmark just cus
True, but it was also in Russian interest that Austrian did not merely become independent but also neutral, in other words, out of reach for Western armies.
Yes, interesting weird story, he was Ambassador in canada before he got elected as UN scretary general 2 times, (no 3rd time due to a veto from china) and only when he entered the election campaign for the Austrian presidency (an office which has very minimalistic powers, and is mainly a representative position) he was suddenly declared a problem.
And they had the full right to do whatever they wanted! After all the murdering and raping of innocent people that nazis did in occupation. After hundreds villages burned to the gound and millions of civilians killed. After all the woman and children murdered or starved to death. SOVIET SOLDERS HAD FULL RIGHT TO DO WHATEVER THEY DID!
In addition to neutrality, Austria had to agree it would never, literally ever, unite with Germany again under any circumstances.
hmm I dont know how the EU works in 2020 and I know Austria isn't apart of it but is it pretty passive ..??? like germans and others can go in and out of there borders with Austria ..??? there is obs a lot of free trade and would the EU military assist Austria ??? what if some country invaded poor little Austria im guessing technical no EU country could help them ..???
One day Austria will once again unite with Germany. Why? Because the right is once again rising all over Europe. German nationalism is returning. Austrians are Germans, and they know it. All that is left to do now is to purge the American puppets from the German and Austrian governments, American troops deployed into Germany, and mobilize.
Mark my words, it will happen again. There’s a common theme seen throughout history, that being it tends to repeat itself. Empires have risen and fallen & sometimes rising yet again 100-200 years later. It is inevitable. The migrant crisis in Europe ensured the return of Europeanism and to be fair, I am happy to see it.
Give it another ten years. The EU will collapse and we will be once again back to where we were in the 1930’s.
History Matters reference here
@@ericbooth3393 Disagree. 1 - Racial nationalism will decrease as cultures mix more. People who live and grow up with each other understand each other more and don't fear each other. 2 - Europe is wary of large scale wars between each other and imperialist wars (like the world wars) have ground to a hault, cultures are no longer interested in taking over one another. The only wars I foresee in Europe are those of independence or relatively small uprising but only if there are poor conditions. e.g. Scottish independence would never get to a violent stage. 3 - Economics - Trade is so intertwined in Europe that it'll do much more long term damage.
That clause of the treaty probably no longer applies. Especially since the early 1990s.
Cant wait for the Francoist Spain in the Cold War video
Did you mean pact of madrid in 1953
@@user-fj5wn9iq5r no... The commenter means exactly what they said.
@@Schmidty1 Pact of Madrid are not a part of Spain cold war time?
Such a great Advise!!👍🏼👍🏼
Man that is gonna be a great vid
My father was with the American occupation police forces in Vienna and told stories about how the occupation police in 1945 would have one soldier from each of the four occupying powers. They rarely had a common language and if they did, it was broken German.
Key factor for the Soviets giving up on eastern Austria that wasn't mentioned: A neutral, united Austria created a buffer between NATO West Germany and NATO Italy, making it difficult for Italy to quickly assist in a war in Germany. With a NATO West Austria, no buffer.
Pretty sure NATO wouldn't care with the 'buffer' issue as NATO had been managing quite well with Belarus and Kaliningrad that stood on the way between Lithuania and Poland
Kind of....you see NATO had a plan to place Nato troops in Austria within 8 hours of initial war against Warsaw pact, not only that but if the war broke out Austria would still be on the side of NATO
@@Kuricang31 doesn't matter, only important what Soviet union thought could happen in this case
Austria would just make firearms like the Steyr Aug and curtain rod factory turned iconic handgun Glock. Centuries of amazing firearm engineering continues
bro's plugging his gun nerd lol
7:31 I always find it interesting how the zone signs in occupied Austria and Germany say "Soviet zone" in Russian but "Russian zone" in German...
The Soviet Union put a lot of effort into russification. There was no sign of anything nonrussian in their occupation zone. The idea was the creation of a homo sovieticus as can be seen in the newly settled places (Crimea, Kaliningrad, Eastern Poland and partially in the Baltic states).
He meant that in the West it's okay to call the USSR Russia, but in Russia itself and the USSR it sounds strange. Some people there even think that "real Russia died in 1917, the modern one is a fake state"
@@sxbcdbfxs7069 This is what I meant to say
@@sxbcdbfxs7069 The state of Zarist Russia is mostly the same with the Soviet Union. Soviet meaning a form of gouvernment. So for say Usbek people they know that the nationalist case makes Russia and Soviet Union similar. So, where is the difference? Only if you tie "Russia" to the Zarist gouvernment.
Wolfgang Pagel Understandable, have a great day
Post-war Vienna also served as the backdrop of a very good movie with Awesome Welles.
Very informative thank you, I grew up in post war Austria.
I love your program, because you also tackle topics that are difficult to overlook and are largely overlooked. I look forward to your documentary on Ireland and The Troubles. Keep doing good job and never stop.
I studied abroad in Austria last year. Interestingly enough, my campus was very close to where U.S. and Soviet armies first met when they occupied the country. Passed by the monument while I was on the bus from Vienna back to campus. The whole time this Austrian man who had been living in the area since, I presume, the war ended was telling us all about this.
Watching this video makes this feel way too surreal.
Thanks for this! The wikipedia article related to this was sorely lacking and any other sources I reviewed never tied it together as well! Love you and your teams work!
That is because of a lady from the former USSR who is "crusading" on Wikipedia to "purge it" of all "Fascist" references. Saw an article on her on NPR. The Cold War continues on the World Wide Web. Remember folks, the Soviets believe that ANYONE who isn't Communist is a Fascist.
You guys make my Saturday mornings shift gears in a good and unexpected way, thanks.
Not to forget, Germany might have missed the chance of getting reunified (Stalin note (1952)) in the 1950s by becoming a neutral state just like Austria.
Germany was far too gone by then. Remember LOTS of Germans had been members of the Nazi Party. The allies finally found their man in an elderly flower clerk who somehow escaped the notice of the Nazis (lucky for him!) Unfortunately I can't spell his name but he was instrumental in steering Germany towards a Free Market State and Democratic rule. Perhaps it was wise to keep Germany separate because even BEFORE WW2 the Communists were trying to stage a coup in one way or another. Frankly the "eastern lands" were marginal at best. The BEST of Germany is in her Western half so the Soviets got royally ripped off 😆
@@christianfreedom-seeker934 You mean Konrad Adenauer? He was actually the Lord Mayor of Cologne from around the end of the royalty era until the Nazis dismissed him soon after getting power. Dr. Adenauer was likely the greatest leader Germany had in the 20th Century apart from maybe Helmut Kohl. The man rebuilt the western country, created an economy so strong it was among the best in Europe by the early to mid 50s, won over so much trust from the Allies that they let the German armed forces be reborn, and even negotiated a settlement with the Soviets to return POWs and get recognition (this put Khrushchev in a very awkward position, as he now recognized two German governments). If Germany had been made neutral, there's a chance that radicals reemerge. Unlike Austria, this would have been incredibly dangerous and risky. While the Berlin Wall was sickening, West Germany becoming a NATO member and west-friendly may have saved the entire country's whole future.
Excellent video. I always wondered what was the evolution of Austria's cold war neutrality. Now I know how it happened.
The original paper of the treaty they signed to this day is kept in Moskau. (There's only a copy in Austria. That goes to show how important the treaty and it's neutrality was to the Soviets)
I wish, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary and other coutries which were under soviet occupation followed same fate as Austria. When I compare my country (Slovakia) I always see the economical difference between us and Austria caused by long years of comminist occupation. I am glad at least Austria made it. :) Cheers
Serves you right for betraying Austria-Hungary.
I'm just kidding.
Slovakia is my favourite European country following my last visit in December. I hope to return when the pandemic finishes to go tramping in the Tatra mountains.
Don't be happy for them, they're not sorry for you.
Because Austria never join NATO and Stailn die two years earily
West looks at you as an inferior, so until you understand this, you will have pink glasses. Slovakia didnt enter EU or NATO to its benefit, but to the Western benefit. Economical difference is because of huge looting in 90s, installment of antinational elites by US and NATO, along with incessant propaganda about freedom of only allowed liberal idea. Stop thinking the West is any source of freedom, the West has taken quasi-cmmunist ideology as some casus belli against the rest of the world. Real world is very different compared to official narratives. Commies were bad but the West embraces this tunnel into nowhere. NATO now serves as western imperial occupation. NATO controls the media narrative. NATO wants expansion, even though warsaw pact is long gone. Nobody needed antagonism against Russia by NATO expansion, by wars and other provocative behavior that is full of double standard. Westerners take us for cannon fodder and widening of their market. Our agriculture was destroyed by western ideologues and agents through excessive western subsidy of their sector. What do you think is it about in Ukraine ? Democracy ? Who controls the media drives how majority thinks for some reason. Liberal dictatorship ? No problem ? Freedom is not liberal.
According to local Austrian folklore the main reason we gained independence was that our politicians managed to be better at drinking then the Russians.
Really superb episode, excellent content. Congrats folks.
Thank you for this information. As a child I remember that the soviets left Vienna, but I did not know of the occupation like the German occupaation.
Great discussion
I am sad there was no reference to the Third Man. It's an awesome British Noir film set and mostly filmed in occupied Vienna. You get to see all the rubble and the remains of damaged buildings from the war. Also the occupation zones play into the narrative in a way. Vienna had the same problem as Berlin where you could pass between Allied zones rather easily, but Soviet zones...were another story. I'd recommend it if you are interested in what parts of Vienna looked like in the late 1940's, plus it is great movie.
Calling it British Noir is burying the lede. It's directed by and stars Orson frickin Welles.
Are you sure you aren't getting it mixed up with Touch of Evil, Lady from Shanghai, or Citizen Kane? The director of the Third Man is Carol Reed. Joseph Cotten (who is also American) is actually the star with Wells showing up toward the end of the movie. Most of if not all the production staff are British except the leads. You can tell within a few minutes of watching that it's not an American Noir. The biggest giveaway is the soundtrack, which is way too bombastic for an American Noir. The music works for the movie, but is definitely strange if you are used to American Noir.
@@jvad007 ruclips.net/video/opiaGrRLtQ4/видео.html
The soundtrack is pure genius. It is not quite British though. But one has to credit the producers for the audacity to engage an Austrian Zitter-player to compose and play the entire soundtrack. It created a very unique experience and an outstanding soundtrack (literally).
@@sagichnicht6748 Wow, I guess I should have looked into a bit further. Still a great soundtrack and very surprising that they had an Austrian composer that early after the war.
Cue the mandolin playing the Harry Lime theme
I love this channel as well as Kings and Generals, as soon as I am able I will start becoming a patreon partner. I could binge watch this all day, keep up the great work!
Austria is a beautiful country.
Another fantastic video. Keep it up.
I think we need a few episodes on the formation of the CIA, one on the transformation of the NKVD to the KGB, and one on the formation of MI6.
Wasn't MI6 formed during the First World War, so outside the Cold War period?
The CIA was a failure from it's start and had FEW successes because it was too well known. The US Govt should have kept it Top Secret.
MI 1 through to MI 19 were all operating during WW2, but not sure when they were formed
True Austria was responsible for war crimes however Austria is just ONE example of Britain and France’s culpability in CREATING a German juggernaut. They could have Hitler in 1936, when he crossed into the Rhineland. They could have stopped Nazi Germany during the annexation of Austria because the Austrians were to hold a plebiscite on whether to become part of the Reich. The Austrian leader at the time, Kurt Von Schuschnigg, wanted an independent Austria. Hitler them invaded because he was “saving Austrian Nazis from persecution” but, in reality, he believed the vite would not go Germany’s way. They had a chance to stop him at the Sudetenland in Czechoslavakia. They had a chance when he invaded the rest of Czechoslavakia. By the time he got to Poland, they STILL had a chance. Stalin was STILL seeking an alliance to stop Hitler. The UK and France kept saying no. Once the non aggression treaty was signed between the Nazis and the USSR, it was over. Yes Nazi Germany started WWII but France and the UK were just as culpable. I LOVE this channel by the way. The Cold War is a very forgotten period of time that was actually a very critical time in history. Keep up the good work.
Love your channel
Never knew that Austria had oil :-)
Glad US dont know XD
I have passed through and around Vienna many times on my way to Germany and I am always astonished by the huge oil refinery in the eastern outskirts of the city...
Until the mid 60's Austria had to send oil to the USSR as part of reparations (around 100 million tons of oil were received by the USSR after 1955) And in 1949 Austria was the 3rd largest oil producer in central europe after the USSR and Romania.
Did somebody say OIL???
In austria we see Leopold Figl as a national hero and to this day his party still dominates austrian politics, I actually got to meet a Person who lived in Sowjet occumpied austria and she told us about how cruel the russian soliders where, they raped, stole and she even told us that once a russian came into the kitchen and took all the spices and sugar and what not and pissed on it, of course not all russians where this cruel, most of them probably acted this way because of the horrors they had seen in the war, austria had a hard time in the 40s and 50s but we survived and now we are stronger then ever
Basically similar to what the Americans did after the liberation of Germany to the point that women raped by US soldiers contributed roughly 5% of the estimated Germany's post-war births
Good stuff David !
Keep it up.👍
Used to be the frontier against the Caliphate and Ally, During WW2 and Post War become forgotten one because they lost so much territory.
A "SHOUT-OUT" To The Fact That Vienna, Being Such A Hotbed For Espionage On BOTH Sides Of The Cold War, To Become The Inspiration For The Film "THE THIRD MAN" (And Filmed At That Very Time And Place,) Would Have Been Great!
Post war Italy
Compare the fate of Austria to that of Czechoslovakia. Three differences come to mind:
1. Communists did well in the first post-war parliamentary elections in Czechoslovakia getting 38% of the vote.
2. In the Czechoslovak government, Communists had infiltrated key ministries including defense and the police and purged non-communists from their ranks.
3. President Benes, unlike Renner in Austria, was perhaps a broken man having endured the Munich debacle, French duplicity, the callous and delusional interference of th British in his nation's affairs and he had maintained a government in exile thru the war that at times had only lukewarm Allied support. Benes, like Renner had worked hard to gain Soviet trust and support as the war began to wind down but all of Czechoslovakia was occupied by Soviet troops. And even though those troops were withdrawn before the 1948 February coup by then the communist we're entrenched and their subversive activities, like staged demonstrations, had an impact on public views however briefly. When the Soviets realized they were certain to lose seats in parliament in the next election, not gain them, Stalin ordered the coup.
The plight of Czechoslovakia was a wake-up call to the Americans who had as yet no plan to counter Soviet subversion across Europe and had intended to disband the OSS (precursor to CIA). Thus American money began to pour into European parliamentary elections, anti-communist propaganda was stepped up and CIA counterintelligence took on th Soviet threat directly. The Czech coup can be credited with convincing those in Congress reluctant t to support Marshall Plan legislation that they must vote for it.
I think it should be pointed out that an independent neutral Austria wasn't just the result of Sovjets loosing the game and leaving as there was nothing more to gain but rather the best option for Russia for the long term, right from the start. Russia did plunder the territories it occupied but turning East Austria into an east block puppet state would have been a bad idea from getgo. While Austria as a whole had the potential to be a self sustaining political entity, just the east on its own was not and Russia clearly wanted to prevent the rise of a new Anschluss movement in Austria due to a bleak outlook. On the other side, a communist east meant basically a US dominated west (and later NATO integration). That would have been a bad deal for Russia as the flat east was of little military value (as it was easy to conquer and hard to defend), while Austrias west was the opposite, extremely hard to conquer and easy to defend. The best option here was a united Austria with lasting neutrality, therefore no US forces in the Austrian Alps. At the same time, the east of Austria could have been easily reconquered if need be in case of a cold war turning hot.
Stalin might have still been reluctant to see it exactly that way but his predecessors clearly did.
Another point is Vienna. It was not like Berlin actually. There were 4 zones, yes. But the 1st district was part of none of these 4 zones but rather an international zone controlled by all 4 together. In Berlin the Russians controlled the old centre. In Vienna they controlled actually fairly little, only a few eastern districts, not the population hotspots even though they hosted some industry.
Great Video, I liked the footage you have shown.
Another great story. Thank you. Keep up the good work.
Brilliant video, thanks a lot!
10:24 Actually some help was sent to Austria from Czechoslovakia, particularly from Moravia. The local communist liked to remind people of this help well into the 50s with narrative shifting to selfless help of a socialist state to failing capitalists. This rhetoric was very effective - my father, who wasn't even born at the time the help was given, belives that we singlehandedly saved Vienna from starvation. He, of course, remains completely ignorant in knowing what the state of affairs was in Austria at the time and that much of that suffering was soviet inflicted.
There are two movies set in Vienna citra 1951. First is the "Third Man" starring Orson Welles. The second is "Three (soldiers) in a jeep. Both movies should be available from the usual sources.
During the blockade of Berlin, Western allies in Vienna prepared plan to supply the western part of the city (west of the Danube, that is) from the air, just as they did in Berlin. Fortunately, the blockade of Vienna never happened, since it would have probably overstretched allied airlift capabilities.
Excellent content.
Why the Soviets had a lack of information and somewhat less interest in Afghanistan (almost making it a void) if some say they wanted to make a pipeline there???
The Soviet campaign in Afghanistan was largely about influence in Central Asia rather than a pipeline, as having a successful uprising against a communist government just south of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, etc. was not a good omen and some worried it may spur a popular uprising.
@@redhy986 Influence against Pakistan? China? Iran? CENTO? US?
@@scoutgamer9448 From what I've read it was more about containment and the incompetent Brezhnev regime's attempt at a popular war (oh how that backfired miserably), but if I were you I'd do your own reading on it. If you want I could recommend a few sources.
@@redhy986 Btw, do you think Finland was more important than Afghnistan to the Soviets??
David - another good country profile that suffered in the east paying war reparation, visit Austria today ( 1995 - 2020) and there is a growing German population into area's that hold history's brutality from 1938 onwards.
Great video. I didn't know most of these details. I grew up hearing the few times Austria was mentioned, that it was the 'first victim' of the Nazis. What baloney. And probably most of what I learned about the period of occupation was from Carol Reed's The Third Man. (I got a new DVD version in about 2000. I told my son to sit down and watch it with me. He saw black and white and said, 'No thanks, dad." I insisted, then I got irate - I was being pretty awful. Finally in a harrumph he sat down scowling. This new version started with the opening mentioning the black market and how there was 'little room for amateurs' then showing the corpse in the river. First time I'd seen this version. Wow. I knew I totally had my son's interest. So of course I apologized and said he didn't have to watch it. Finally he told me to just shut up. Some part of him knew all along I was up to something. He watched it another 18 times.
A question I have about Austria is that I can't ever remember seeing in any film shot in or about Austria a Thonet Chair. As I'm sure you know Michael Thonet's Chairs were the first flat pack (like Ikea) chairs made in Austria since 1858. They're in just about every other movie made world wide.
And finally. The channel looks great. The settings used for the main office set are wonderful. From this old photographer -- well done.
Not sure what your question about the Thonet chairs and Austria is about, but the Thonet chairs were famous for beeing very elegant steam bent wooden chairs. Not for beeing flat packed. And while i have never tried to spot them in any movies that feature austrian sights, You would have to have the scene filmed in an actual vienese coffe house to feature them. Also the factory in Austria (the one in vienna) was completely destroyed during and the manufacturing of Thonet chairs in Austria started again in 1962.
As for the narrative to be the first victim. Which was the first country germany "expanded" into? I think that was the root where that narrative came from. The country itself was the first victim. Not all it's inhabitants. But it got widened on them too (by themselves). I think it is a common human trade that people don't like to admit errors they have made. The same goes for the austrian people. It is easier to admit that ancestors did something wrong. (although you find lot's of people/nations all around the world who are not able to admit even that.) The other thing why the people back then saw this narrative legitimized was that after the Anschluß, most members of other political parties or anybody who criticized the authorities were imprisoned ect. Mr. Figl who was shown in the video for example spend WW2 as an inmate of a concentration camp. Not for his religion, and he was not the only pre and post WW2 politician in austria to do so... He died in 1965 due to illnesses that had their origin in the treatment he got in the camp. It wasn't all fun and games for the common "siltent" people either. They consctantly were in fear of getting denounced by a greedy or disgruntled neighbour they often hid handicapped relatives to keep them from euthanasia ect...So they saw themselves as victims. (i think i would describe the attitude of most of them a bit like "it wasn't what we signed up for")
Just where were you going to find enough men for a new Austrian military without drawing on ex-Wehrmacht?
can you do a video on the independence war of Bangladesh in 1971 against Pakistani occupiers?? it was a significant conflict during the cold war which could seriously boil up the situation and turn the conflict from a regional to a global one... I believe David will put some light on the war I mentioned
Hoped they discuss about it but if they did, I hoped they talked about the Gonohotta and Operation Searchlight as it was the biggest massacre ever committed in 21st century yet very few talked or actually know about it. Even though US involvement in the massacre was quite obvious
Do you have a new camera? The clarity of this episode is outstanding.
Great Video!! Do you guys intend to make a video about Latin American coups and revolutions during these times? I'm brazilian, so I would love to hear about the 1964 coup and the military regime that followed. Good luck, and keep up the hard work, you guys are doing great!!
Thx, a good report about my motherland.....even when we say Vaterland.
Deutschland ist mein Vaterland!
@@DrewSchliebner gay
I learned a lot from watching this, and loved all of it... *except* the off-axis camera angles that have inexplicably become so common last year. Maybe I'm just old and not hip "with it" any more, but I just want to scream, "yo! presenter dude! I'm OVER HERE". I mean, even President Trump's last few video messages used this technique, so it's not like you're doing something uniquely strange, I just, well, hate it. And since this is the internet \0/ I get to gripe about it to you, here! Cheers, and I look forward to that video of you eating spätzle.
You forgot to mention the 1950 General strikes. It was a significant event that could have had massive influence if the trade unions hadn't called it off, although it wasn't a putsch as sometimes claimed.
I live in Vienna 🇦🇹🇰🇿
Of course you do
Borat Detected!!!!
Congrats
This is a very nicely done video-documentary. Congrats. Only the silly 'creative common' music is to be dismissed.
If I'm not mistaken, Graz (as the 2nd largest city) was also "quartered" in the same way... Thus there were Viennese and Grazer Austrians living in a mega district occupied by one power, while simultaneously living in a quarter of their city occupied by another competing power, ie the USSR.
Graz was not divided, it was entirely controlled by the British.
Post-war situations are really interesting and often overlooked subject matter. Are you planning on doing a video or videos about Operation Gladio? By witch I mean the secret nato stay behind guerilla troops and operations? Finland has released new intel on that operation, but it spanned through all none Warsaw pact nations and from ww2 to the nineteen's and maybe even to the present day.
Imagine a huge graph structure of all these events. Nodes expand its neighbors when he says "More on that in a minute" lol
Renner´s secret was that he was capable to drink all those Russian Generals who were in charge under the table and the Russians simply respected him for that despite the fact that Renner himself was a former retired General of the Austrian Empire as well and therefore he had a naturally good touch on those Russian Generals by speaking "from Soldier to Soldier" so to say....therefore he could always achieve little victories when the drinking level raised during negotiations which at the very end prevented Austria to become an eastern block satellite state as like as all those other eastern European states who got "liberated" by Russia during WWII..
The man Renner was also first Chancellor of Austria post WWI.
There was a fifth, inter-Allied zone in Vienna. Military police patrols were often composed of 4 men: a French, an American, a Briton and a Soviet.
@frandm1987 This "inter-Allied zone in Vienna" was the historic center of Vienna, the 1st district with the imperial court, the parliament, the city hall, all ministeries, the state opera, the cathedral etc.
This zone was under common rule by all Allies, but the actual command changed by each month. Weired and totally different from the Berlin situation.
You Should Include Relevant Quotes On The Anschluss Situation By The Von Trapp ("THE SOUND OF MUSIC") Family And The Difficulties They Had To Face.
You should do an episode on the what role the Catholic Church/Vatican played during the Cold War.
Gladio
Yes. A great subject. RS
This channel should do a video on the Warsaw Pact countries since it has done one on NATO. My compliments to all those who made this video a reality.
We will. It is further in the timeline.
@@TheColdWarTV---Okay. Good.
What were the Hapsburg's thoughts on all of this. Seems like the perfect chance for them to return and seize power.
They were not asked at all, as they stil were forbidden to even enter the country at this point. All stil part of the treaty of Versailles. No member of the Habsburg family may be in any form of an Austrian government, and to prevent that, they were even forbidden to enter Austrian territory.
@Shiro Hige during wartime he lived in Washington,DC and worked to form a free, independent Austria. But as heir to the Habsburg throne he didn't resign his succsession and so he was forbitten to enter Austria by Austrian law (he resigned,I guess, late 70s or 80s). He sattled in Bavaria, Germany, till his dead. As heir he recived the last "Imperial" funeral. He was working as politican in Germany and was a founding fater of Pan Europa. His oldest son, Karl, resigned at a young age and lives in Austria. He became a officer in the Austrian Army, Show Host on TV and is now a businessman.
@Shiro Hige *cough cough* British Monarchy *cough cough*
They sorta tried in Hungary and Hungary kinda turned it down so they wouldn’t get invaded lol. But technically Hungary was a regency until German invasion
Archduke Carl Ludwig of Austria fought in the US Army as an infantry officer, and even participated in the Normandy Landings
The problem with the Cold war is that its playlist is backward.
Pls guys talk about the Soviet puppets in eastern Europe. About the lifestyle and recovery after ww2.
Just look at their channel. They talk about the Sovietization of Eastern European countries, the various events happening after the war, etc. Subscribe to them if they hasn't covered a topic yet, they will do it eventually.
@@cartigreasyass9951 I am subscribed but they rarely talk about the east.
@@skamazbg5675 there are various videos, although not much yet, but as time goes on i'm sure they'll make more
@@cartigreasyass9951 I hope so.
Very disappointed that you failed to mention even one word about how the British military handed over hundreds of Russians (many of them Don Cossacks) at the end of the war in Austria. They gave them over to the Red Army in Lienz. Women through themselves off the bridge and drowned, along with their children rather than be tortured and slaughtered by Stalin. An old book might help you research this. Title: Nezabyvaemoye (Unforgettable) by Nicholas Krasnov II written in the early 1950s. This was followed by another expose book entitled "Victims of Yalta: The True Story of one of the Most Shameful Episodes of WWII" by Nikolai Tolstoy (1977). No discussion of postwar Austria is honest or complete which either ignores or mistakenly omits this horror.
Austria also signed a peace treaty which enabled the unification
wasn't Austria going to have an election as to whether or not to join Germany before their annexation?
under threat of violence isnt consent
@@dragosstanciu9866 Austria did hold the referendum where people voted to join Germany
yeah they did but it was rigged
@@cv4809 so youre saying that austria voted germany?
I mean i know there is anchless but was that after anchless?
@@cv4809 yeah try voting no back then
A reward is a trip to a summer camp
Can you make a video about the portuguese colonial war?
Je me souviens,lorsque j'etais enfant,que les nuits de brouillard on entendait des tirs sur le lac Neusiedl,qui separe l'Autriche de la Hongrie.C'etaient les patrouilles qui tiraient sur les Civils Hongrois qui essayaient de passer en Autriche .Un souvenir qui fait froid dans le dos.
AUSTRIANS are sooo lucky ,not to become Soviet Bolshevik colony !
greeting to Hofburg from Prag ........🙂
Didnt know Austria had any oil.
to be fair i never heared of this occupation. its always about occupation of germanys.
Is it still a curiosity how Stalin so easily let Austria go in 1948 but not the rest?
Because other countries in Central Europe sadly didn't even try
Per the partition of Germany/Austria. When the idea of France having a '%' of both was brought up to Stalin, Stalin adamantly said no way - i.e. "...if you USA/UK want to have them share in the partitions you can take it out of your own already allotted zones - we're not giving up an inch."
Holy shit I thought Indy Neidell was doing this as well.
I'll always associate immediate post-war Vienna with 'The Third Man'.
The background music around 10:55 sounds like it should be in a Kevin Spacey movie. I've heard it many times before in K&G related vids, i like it; very existential!
What's the name of this music?? pls tell if you know.
Every country needs to atone... not just externally, but also internally. If anyone tries to dispute that point, then that's fine... but they'll still be wrong.
Austria did not pay the real price of freedom - blood and destruction. We did that in Budapest in 1956 without any sucess :(
Sry to hear that. But just remember, in another alternative timeline, Hungary gained their freedom like Austria. I hope you're happy now. Have a nice day from Austria. c:
Keep your hands still for a while.
9:35 that’s a lot of irony
I love this searies. But I have a question. What's the name of the song from the and of the videos?
Completely off topic, but I cannot figure out what that drink is on his desk in the foreground. Is that supposed to be coffee or cola?
Post war spain
i always thought how would things be different if the western allies never landed in normady but instead Greece then push up through Serbia and then Austria … that would of been somewhat quicker and prob confuse the soviets that at the same time this is going on prob just pushing into Romania and Poland … the only negative would be i think it would of gave the soviets more time to go straight towards berlin and then take Denmark just cus
If they had allowed Italy to maintain its army they might have broken through much quicker
The only part of Austria still occupied is Süd-Tirol.
How long has that vault boy bobblehead been there?... Or is it a vault boy key chain?
Interesting
How did Austria become independend? Stalin died.
True, but it was also in Russian interest that Austrian did not merely become independent but also neutral, in other words, out of reach for Western armies.
Would be nice if you could include Austria’s president that was put on an American watchlist for war criminals! (Waldheim)
Yes, interesting weird story, he was Ambassador in canada before he got elected as UN scretary general 2 times, (no 3rd time due to a veto from china) and only when he entered the election campaign for the Austrian presidency (an office which has very minimalistic powers, and is mainly a representative position) he was suddenly declared a problem.
Austria in 1938 had a bloodless coup and a peaceful referendum that effectively ended its independence thereby every mapmaker drew Austria out.
Renner fooled Stalin, who can say that of himself?👌
More importantly, he fooled Stalin and got away with it.
THAT's an accomplishment.
Berndorf Fabrik,alles weg,alle Maschinen alle Werkzeuge und sogar die Türen und Fenster!Danke an die "guten selbst losen" Befreier!
Do the Video about the Philippines under Ferdinand Marcos
Why no documentation as to how the Soviets plundered and pillaged in Austria?
He mentioned the crimes and taking stuff, and pillaging was covered in the East Germany video for what they did to German territory.
Why didn't you watch the video...
They did it everwhere, these were just uneducated boys from siberia, still they freed austria from nazi occupation
And they had the full right to do whatever they wanted! After all the murdering and raping of innocent people that nazis did in occupation. After hundreds villages burned to the gound and millions of civilians killed. After all the woman and children murdered or starved to death. SOVIET SOLDERS HAD FULL RIGHT TO DO WHATEVER THEY DID!
@@DaTetraZeN An eye for an eye, then? The Code of Hammurabi in the 20th century? Jeez!
My mum told me of bread that consisted mainly of sawdust and maize
Who did the soundtrack for the video
What is the name of the music playing around 14:50 and onward?
Heroic March 1 Johannes Bornlof.
Do you know the music after 10:55
Why did this video seem like it lasted 3 times as long as it is