Ambivalence of Identity: The Austrian Experience of Nation-Building in a Modern Society

6. Austrian Nation Formation and the Theory of Nationhood: A Conclusion

6 Austrian Nation Formation and the Theory of Nationhood A Conclusion his study has traced the influence of political elites on the development of a new national identity in the general populace. It attempted to look beyond the visible progression of this identity to explore the environment in which the changes in self-perception took place.1 The conscious policies of nation-building consequently form an important variable in the interpretation of public expressions of identity. The analysis focused on the role of public institutions, because these institutions catalyzed the change in identity. It should not be assumed, however, that public policy was the sole contributor to the reorientation of Austrian national consciousness.2 Appeals to regionalist sentiments had always had an audience in Austria—as in many regions of German-speaking Central Europe.3 The economic recovery of postwar Austria refocused priorities and raised the general level of satisfaction within the wider public. The rejection of German identity offered a release from questions about historical interconnectedness and accountability and separated the Austrian from the long insoluble German Question.4 The great powers actively encouraged Austrian dissociation from things German. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Austrian nation-building merely demanded changes in consciousness, T Austrian Nation Formation and the Theory of Nationhood 181 not in everyday practical life: Austria’s cultural and economic ties with Germany were preserved, if not intensi¤ed. Yet, without the active role of government in the nation-building process, the Austrianist perspective could not have come to dominate the public debate to the extent it did; this political component underlies some of the more conspicuous breaks and inconsistencies in Austrian public consciousness during the postwar era. The political leadership could not have imposed a new national imagery on a uniformly resistant population, but the altered perimeters of legitimate discourse guided the reorientation of public opinion. Over time, the process also developed an internal momentum of its own, which allowed public institutions to adjust their own efforts in accordance with the intellectual climate at various points in time. One of the most distinctive aspects of this study is its focus on nation-building in an advanced, twentieth-century Western society. This historical setting altered some of the earlier patterns of European nation-building. More than a century after the initial rise of nationalist movements in Central Europe, the level of societal mobilization and participation had changed. The citizenry had become more involved in political decision making; its voice had to be considered. At the same time, the political leadership had obtained new means of reaching public opinion. To understand the changes in Austrian identity, it proved particularly important to examine the impact of economics, historical scholarship, and public institutions. The analysis of Austria’s postwar economy both highlighted and quali¤ed the relevance of economic factors for the development of popular consciousness. The material advances experienced by the Austrian population gave legitimacy to the political leadership and the policy of nation-building it pursued. In that respect, economics did play a role in the formation of national identity. In a more fundamental sense, however , the congruence of economics and identity was not con¤rmed by the Austrian experience. The increasing psychological separation of Austria and Germany ran parallel to an economic integration that tied Austria more closely to its northwestern neighbor than it had been at any other time in its history. This development does not support purely economy-based theories that focus on economic integration as the primary element of nationhood. If economic factors are not inherently responsible for the development of national identity, neither are political borders. The lessons gained from the vivid Czech, Slovenian, German, etc., nationalism that 182 The Ambivalence of Identity characterized the waning years of the Habsburg Monarchy were reinforced by the history of the two Austrian republics. These two political entities, virtually indistinguishable in population and geography, still differed fundamentally in national self-de¤nition. The persistent af¤rmations of Austria’s interwar leadership that the country’s ultimate loyalty lay with the larger German nation, regardless of political borders , did not extend into the postwar republic. The borders had remained the same, but public identity had changed. At the same time, the Austrian experience underscores the impact of national imagery on the communal sense-of-self and points to the deeply political role of history and historians. In the tradition of nineteenth-century European historians-cum...