Austrian Civil War

the Austrian civil war was a conflict that lasted from early 1962 until mid-1965 when the national republicans took Vienna and the rump state government fled Vienna. It is was a conflict that by many ODN historians is seen as part of the silent war as a proxy conflict, while the Austrians view it as a true civil war. It was a conflict mainly fought between the “Austrian liberation movement” which had its base of support in the east of the nation and the “Republic of Austria” which had its base in Vienna.

The war had its roots in the divisions within Austria in the aftermath of the great war, the Russian occupation once it had left, left behind supporters throughout the country. While the ODN backed up the Republic of Austria it was not a popular government unable to effectively deal with the numerous post-war crisis and it got the image of a foreign puppet government. The fighting eventually started in early 1962 and it lasted all the way up to July 1965 when the Austrian republican government fled and Hans Dressler founded the Austrian National republic.

The civil war as it is called is considered a momentous event within Austrian history, post great war. The conflict saw a combination of constant low-level engagements in the west of the country, while only in the last months did it involve larger engagements. In total, the civil war would see the death of 47,913 Austrians, mainly from fighting in the mountains and the last few months.

In the aftermath of the civil war, much of “Allied Europe” (ODN) went into a frenzy, the idea that a national republic was now in the center of Europe led to a great deal of fear. It is considered the event that sparked a period of intense fear within Europe. While eventually the national republic would be dealt with, as relations with Russia deteriorated and ODN nations, mainly the Rhineland, Bavaria and the Netherlands moved to deal with Austria. To this day the national republic has left its mark upon Austrian society.