When did Allied occupation of Austria end?
The Allied occupation of Austria ended on the 27th of July 1955, when the Austrian State Treaty came into force. The last occupation troops left Austria on the 25th of October 1955.
Questions about Allied-occupied Austria
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Why was Austria divided into four occupation zones after World War II?
Austria was divided into four zones because the four main Allied powers, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, the United States, and France, each administered a separate territory as agreed on the 9th of July 1945. Vienna was similarly subdivided, with the historic center jointly administered by all four powers on a rotating monthly basis.
What was the USIA conglomerate in Allied-occupied Austria?
The USIA was a Soviet-controlled conglomerate of over 400 expropriated Austrian businesses, amalgamated on the 27th of June 1946. It held a monopolistic share in Austria's glass, steel, oil, and transportation industries, though it controlled no more than 5% of total Austrian economic output. Its profits were effectively confiscated by the Soviets, and its assets gradually decayed due to lack of reinvestment.
How much Marshall Plan aid did Austria receive during the occupation?
Austria received nearly $1 billion through the Marshall Plan, plus half a billion dollars in humanitarian aid. Per capita, Marshall Plan assistance amounted to $132, the highest ratio of Marshall Plan aid to national income among all recipient countries in 1948-1949 at 14%.
What were the conditions Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov set for Austrian independence in 1955?
Molotov publicly announced three conditions on the 8th of February 1955: Austria must adopt permanent neutrality, no foreign military bases could be placed on Austrian soil, and there must be guarantees against a future Anschluss. Austria accepted these terms, and the resulting Declaration of Neutrality was enacted by parliament on the 26th of October 1955.
What was the food situation in Austria during the Allied occupation?
Daily food rations in Austria remained below 2,000 calories until the end of 1947, a level American reports described as a near-starvation diet. The crisis peaked in 1947 when the potato harvest reached only 30% of pre-war output, triggering food riots in Vienna on the 5th of May and in Bad Ischl in August. The United States issued $300 million in emergency food aid in June 1947 when UNRRA shipments ended.