Knowra Austrian State Treaty Austrian State Treaty The 1955 treaty restored Austria’s sovereignty after Allied occupation, ended occupation rights, and prohibited political or economic union with Germany.
Austrian neutrality : Austria’s constitutional commitment, adopted in 1955, not to join military alliances or permit foreign military bases. Austria declared permanent neutrality months after the treaty enabled the withdrawal of occupying forces.
Moscow Memorandum : The April 1955 agreement in which Austrian and Soviet representatives outlined terms for ending the occupation of Austria. It established the political bargain that cleared the way for the treaty negotiations.
Article 4 of the Austrian State Treaty : The treaty article prohibiting Austria from entering political or economic union with Germany. It gives legal form to the treaty’s prohibition on renewed Anschluss.
Leopold Figl : An Austrian statesman who served as chancellor from 1945 to 1953 and foreign minister from 1953 to 1959. As foreign minister, he signed the treaty for Austria in May 1955.
Two Plus Four Agreement : The 1990 agreement among the two German states and four powers that ended the legal effects of World War II in Germany. Unlike Austria’s 1955 settlement, it enabled German reunification rather than prohibiting union.
Allied-occupied Austria : Austria’s division into occupation zones administered by the United States, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union from 1945 to 1955. The treaty terminated the occupation regime that had governed Austria for a decade.
Moscow Declaration : The 1943 Allied statement that Austria was the first victim of Hitler’s aggression, while also noting its responsibility for participation in the war. Its framing of Austria’s status influenced the postwar settlement the treaty completed.
Austrian State Treaty, Article 7 : The treaty provision guaranteeing rights to Slovenia- and Croatia-related minorities in Austria, including education and language rights. It shows how the treaty also regulated minority protections within restored Austria.
Julius Raab : An Austrian politician who served as federal chancellor from 1953 to 1961. His government negotiated the Soviet terms that made the treaty possible.
German reunification : The 1990 restoration of a unified German state through the accession of East German states to the Federal Republic. Its outcome stands opposite the treaty’s enduring ban on political or economic union with Germany.
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