Austria- guilty or not?

I watched a program on German TV over the weekend that dealt with Austria�s persistent opposition against Turkey�s entry into the EU. They interviewed a number of people on a busy street in Vienna, and I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Their main argument against Turkey has nothing to do with the political, economic or religious implications of such a move, but with the fact that the Turks once put up their tents beneath Vienna�s walls and besieged the place for while, in the 16th and 17th century. Instead of being grateful that the Ottomans gave them coffee, croissants and apfelstrudel, the good Austrians still resent the Turks because they made a short visit to their country, 400-500 years ago.
My blood began to boil when I heard that and I remembered that the Austrians might have a rather distorted view on history anyway.
After WW2 the country rather successfully managed to portray itself as the innocent victims of Nazi-Germany�s aggression, and denied having any principal guilt in both initiating the war, or in committing the war crimes of the Nazi-Regime. There have been high ranking Austrian Nazis of course, Seiss- Inquart or Kaltenbrunner etc., whose existence couldn�t be denied, but on the whole Austria tried to give the impression that were singular cases and not representative for the whole population that allegedly resented the �Anschluss�, Germany�s annexation of Austria in 1938.
So, my question is, how do you see the role of Austria during the Nazi regime, can the country be blamed for allowing their leaders to participate in the Nazi aggression and crimes, like the Germans can , or are country and people wholly innocent.


Edited by Komnenos

Austria had and has continued to have a more pro nazi population than any other country.  I just think this is old school Hapsburg rivalry.  I dont see the concern about Turkey being Muslim, its probably a more secular government than Austria is!

I have the impression that Austria and Bavaria are one and the same: the ghost of Charles V will never abandon them. Besides that, Austria joined rather willingly to Nazi Germany and I do think that they had the same participation than the rest of the Germans. Nevertheless, I do favor Austria joining Germany again, that move could "westernize" them a little.

I have only been once in Austria but we were unable to make ourselves to be understood in a road restaurant, near the border with Italy, in any of these three major European languages: English, French or Italian. I think of Austria like US people think of West Virginia: a strange place in the middle of nowhere (and everywhere).

Wasn't it the Jewish Austrian Socialist Chancellor Bruno Kreisky who change the Austrian interpretation of history. Before him Austria saw itself as a willing Nazi ally and he pushed forward the revision of history that they were Germany's first victim.

Then after a later election when he failed to win a majority in a general election he also tried form a coalition government with Austria's far right party.

Originally posted by Mosquito However as someone said Austrians are genius people who convinced the world that Beethoven was an austrian and Hitler was German.

Yeah I kinda always wished Vienna fell too, but I have great hate for the Hapsburgs in general.

because they are crazy corrupt and held back intelligent thought in their domains for centuris maybe? Great Louis XIV was the one who had a good Hapsburg policy.

austria only think crotia enter eu

Originally posted by Raider Originally posted by Tobodai because they are crazy corrupt and held back intelligent thought in their domains for centuris maybe? Great Louis XIV was the one who had a good Hapsburg policy. So you must dislike Romanovs, Hohenzollerns and several other dinasties too. Hungary dethronized the Habsburgs three times, but I don't think they were worse than any other (foreign) dinasty.

yes, royal dynasties overall tend to be bad things for the countries that spawn them.

Klemens Fon Meternih of the "Holy" Alliance was an Austrian.If you know him,what others you want?