Austrian Civil War

From Roses, Tulips, & Liberty
Austrian Civil War
Part of Silent War
Date18 March 1962 — 15 July 1965 (3 years, 3 months, 28 days)
Location
Result National republican victory
Belligerents
Austrian National Liberation Movement Republic of Austria
Commanders and leaders
Hans Dressler
Casualties and losses
47,913 KIA

The Austrian Civil War (High German: Österreichischer Bürgerkrieg) was a 40-month civil conflict in Austria between Austrian national republicans and and the established liberal Republic of Austria, resulting in the latter's overthrow and the creation of the Austrian National Republic in July 1965. It was a conflict seen by many outside Austria, particularly those affiliated with the Organization of Democratic Nations, as a proxy conflict of the Silent War.

The war had its roots in political divisions within Austria in the aftermath of the Great War and the subsequent Russian occupation, which directly introduced the ideology of national republicanism to Austria in the wake of the collapse of the Habsburg monarchy. In 1940, the Republic of Austria was established at Vienna with ODN support. Throughout its 22-year existence, it remained unpopular with the Austrian public and particularly Austrian nationalists, who viewed it as a foreign puppet government subservient to the interests of the United Kingdom.

Throughout the war, constant low-level military engagements dominated the mountainous west of the country. Only from January to July 1965 did larger engagements occur; engagements that ultimately contributed the most to deaths of over 40,000 Austrian civilians and soldiers.

In the aftermath of the civil war, the ODN became incredibly apprehensive of the new national republic right in the heart of central Europe, sparking a massive wave of anti-national republican sentiment and fear across the continent. The Rhineland and the Netherlands, as the nations most concerned about Austria, took charge in attempts to disestablish the national republic.

Origins

The conflict

It can be argued that the conflict known as the Austrian civil war (1962 - 1965) can best be divided into three phases. The first phase of the conflict is best known for its low-intensity conflict and it is more acts of violence and acts of civil instability rather than a conflict. The second phase is often seen as a conflict best known as commando warfare (insurgency) where the west of the country and the mountains were basically a no go for the Vienna government, as fighting was of low intensity. The third phase is often seen as the last phase where the conflict became more open, it is also the most bloody phase and would see the fall of the Vienna government.

Aftermath

See also