Was Austria the First Victim? Nazism in Austrian History Teaching

Abstract

This chapter deals with the response of Austrian society to National Socialism after 1945. A particular focus is placed on the so-called “victim thesis” according to which Austria is seen as the first victim of aggressive National Socialist expansion policy. This view can be traced back to Austrian diplomatic during the Second World War. At the end of the twentieth century, however, Austrian historians worked out that this view on Austria’s National Socialist past is untenable. Nevertheless, the notion that Austria as a country and thus all citizens were solely “victims” of this policy of aggression has had a long-lasting effect and can still sometimes be found in contemporary arguments. Therefore, this chapter analyses past and present approaches of dealing with Nazism in Austrian history classes and, as a result, proposes a division of Austrian history teaching since 1945 into four periods. Austrian textbooks serve as an empirical basis, but, by gaining a better understanding of this particular case, this chapter seeks to offer insights into processes of overcoming conflicts about a difficult past in school settings at a more general level, beyond the Austrian context.