republic · Germany and Central Europe

Republic of Austria

1945 CE – present · capital Vienna

The Second Austrian Republic, restored in 1945 and rebuilt as a neutral, prosperous democracy in the heart of Europe.

Origins

As the Red Army took Vienna in April 1945, Karl Renner formed a provisional government and declared Austria's independence from Germany on 27 April 1945, restoring the 1920 constitution. Austria was divided into four Allied occupation zones, with Vienna under four-power control.

Rule and society

Governments were long formed by grand coalitions of the conservative People's Party and the Social Democrats, with social partnership between employers and unions. The State Treaty of 15 May 1955 ended the occupation, and Austria declared permanent neutrality. Vienna became a seat of United Nations agencies. The Waldheim affair of 1986 prompted a reckoning with Austrians' role under Nazism.

To the present

Austria joined the European Union in 1995 and adopted the euro in 1999. It remains a federal parliamentary republic of nine states, with Vienna as capital.

Lineage

Holy Roman Empire 800 CE – 1806 CEAustro-Hungarian Empire 1867 CE – 1918 CEFirst Austrian Republic 1919 CE – 1934 CEFederal State of Austria 1934 CE – 1938 CERepublic of Austria

More states of Germany and Central Europe →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Republic of Austria. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-austria
MLA
“Republic of Austria.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-austria. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Republic of Austria.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-austria.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Republic of Austria’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-austria (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻