Austria I.
Austria I is a historical documentary film series created by Hugo Portisch and Sepp Riff in 1989 about the history of the First Republic from 1918 to 1938.
content
The film series consists of 12 episodes, which deal in a very comprehensive way with the political, economic and social realities of those years.
Beginning with the collapse of the Habsburg Empire in November 1918, the arc goes from the birth of the First Republic to the annexation to the Third Reich in March 1938. The economic problems of the interwar period are examined intensively, in particular the effects of the global economic crisis in 1929 on the unstable political structures of the First Republic.
The sensitive domestic political trouble spots of the 1920s are dealt with in detail, as is the decline of democracy and the establishment of the Austro-Fascist corporate state as a result of the civil war in February 1934.
The end point of the documentation is set by the events from March 1938 to the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, when the former First Republic was dissolved and was already part of the National Socialist Third Reich .
The consequences in detail
- From empire to republic
- The focus is on the last months of the First World War , the revolution in Russia , the entry of the USA into the war and the fall of the Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy .
- The focus is on the last months of the First World War , the revolution in Russia , the entry of the USA into the war and the fall of the Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy .
- The oppressed republic
- The establishment of the First Republic in November 1918, the defensive battles in Carinthia, the treaties of Versailles and St. Germain , the battle for Burgenland and the vote in Sopron (Ödenburg) are the focus of this episode.
- The establishment of the First Republic in November 1918, the defensive battles in Carinthia, the treaties of Versailles and St. Germain , the battle for Burgenland and the vote in Sopron (Ödenburg) are the focus of this episode.
- The pawned republic
- Cut off from the sales markets of the former Danube Monarchy, little Austria is struggling with economic problems, customs barriers impede the movement of goods.
- The first crude oil is produced in Marchfeld . Cultural life is shown using film scenes from silent films made in Austria at the time, as well as excerpts from the Salzburg Festival . The attempt by Emperor Charles to regain the Hungarian crown are just as much part of the third episode as an attempted vote on annexation to Germany.
- The underrated republic
- Episode four sheds light on the remarkable achievements of the First Republic: this is how a number of Nobel Prize winners lived in this country. However, the first domestic political tensions put a strain on the climate - the shots in Schattendorf were fired and the Palace of Justice was on fire in Vienna . The gap between the Social Democrats and the Christian Socials is widening significantly.
- Episode four sheds light on the remarkable achievements of the First Republic: this is how a number of Nobel Prize winners lived in this country. However, the first domestic political tensions put a strain on the climate - the shots in Schattendorf were fired and the Palace of Justice was on fire in Vienna . The gap between the Social Democrats and the Christian Socials is widening significantly.
- On the way to civil war
- The consequences of the stock market crash in New York and the Great Depression of 1929 did not spare the First Republic either. The Weimar Republic and Austria are clearly destabilized domestically. Unemployment is rampant and totalitarian ideologies are increasingly finding breeding ground.
- The consequences of the stock market crash in New York and the Great Depression of 1929 did not spare the First Republic either. The Weimar Republic and Austria are clearly destabilized domestically. Unemployment is rampant and totalitarian ideologies are increasingly finding breeding ground.
- Farewell to Austria
- February 12, 1934, the civil war , the elimination of parliament, the end of democracy and the establishment of the authoritarian corporate state by Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss are at the beginning of that episode. The events surrounding the attempted coup by the National Socialists in July 1934 are also examined. Kurt Schuschnigg follows Dollfuss, who was murdered by the National Socialists, into the Federal Chancellery.
- February 12, 1934, the civil war , the elimination of parliament, the end of democracy and the establishment of the authoritarian corporate state by Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss are at the beginning of that episode. The events surrounding the attempted coup by the National Socialists in July 1934 are also examined. Kurt Schuschnigg follows Dollfuss, who was murdered by the National Socialists, into the Federal Chancellery.
- The visitation of Austria
- The weeks between March 12, 1938 - the invasion of the German troops - and April 10 - the date of the referendum held by the National Socialists on the annexation of Austria to the Third Reich - form the core of this episode. In particular, the blindness of the population and the changes that the National Socialist regime brought with it to everyday life are described by contemporary witnesses.
- The weeks between March 12, 1938 - the invasion of the German troops - and April 10 - the date of the referendum held by the National Socialists on the annexation of Austria to the Third Reich - form the core of this episode. In particular, the blindness of the population and the changes that the National Socialist regime brought with it to everyday life are described by contemporary witnesses.
- Temptation and violence
- This episode shows the regime's reach for people. With temptations like the promised Volkswagen , vacation trips on KdF ships and the supposed security of the German national community, but also coercion, one tries to win the population for the idea of National Socialism.
- This episode shows the regime's reach for people. With temptations like the promised Volkswagen , vacation trips on KdF ships and the supposed security of the German national community, but also coercion, one tries to win the population for the idea of National Socialism.
- The storm breaks out
- On November 9, 1938, Jewish prayer houses and synagogues burned in Vienna too. The National Socialist regime shows its criminal face on the Reichskristallnacht . The first resistance to the connection to Germany is stirring, the Austrians are again aware of their roots. It is supported by social democrats, Christian socialists, communists and monarchists.
- On November 9, 1938, Jewish prayer houses and synagogues burned in Vienna too. The National Socialist regime shows its criminal face on the Reichskristallnacht . The first resistance to the connection to Germany is stirring, the Austrians are again aware of their roots. It is supported by social democrats, Christian socialists, communists and monarchists.
- 1939 - proclaimed peace, made war
- After the annexation of the Sudetenland in 1938, German troops also invade the rest of the Czech Republic. The breach of the Munich Agreement alarms the world.
- The last summer of peace in Austria before the Second World War is the focus of the final episode of Austria I.
- About winning and dying
- Resurrected in the war
reception
The documentary can be rated as a great success for Hugo Portisch and Sepp Riff. The factual approach to the not unproblematic political area of tension distinguishes the work. The effort to describe the story using objectively available facts and figures was rewarded, among other things with the award “The Golden Camera” for Hugo Portisch and Sepp Riff.
In addition to Austria II , this film series represents another milestone in the presentation of Austrian history in the 20th century.
From February 2, 2013, ORF will show Austria I on its program ORF III in a remastered version moderated by Hugo Portisch. The new comments were created taking into account new findings and through historical advice from the board of the Institute for Contemporary History at the University of Vienna ( Oliver Rathkolb ). This newly broadcast version does justice to the historical processing of this time.
literature
- Hugo Portisch: Austria I. Volumes 1 and 2, The underestimated republic / Farewell to Austria . Heyne Verlag, 1994, ISBN 978-3-453-07947-2 .
Video material
- Austria I . 12 episodes, VHS, BMG ARIOLA MusikgesmbH, Vienna 1989.
- Austria I - ORF3 Edition . 12 episodes, DVD, Universal / Music / DVD, Vienna March 29, 2013.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Dr. Hugo Portisch ( Memento from March 12, 2013 in the Internet Archive )