Slavs in Post-Nazi Austria: Carinthian Slovenes and the Politics of Assimilation, 1945-1960 (Sensory Studies)

Robert Knight’s book examines how the 60,000 strong Slovene community in the Austrian borderland province of Carinthia continued to suffer in the wake of Nazism’s fall. It explores how and why Nazi values continued to be influential in a post-Nazi era in postwar Central Europe and provides valuable insights into the Cold War as a point of interaction of local, national and international politics. Though Austria was re-established in 1945 as Hitler’s ‘first victim’, many Austrians continued to share principles which had underpinned the Third Reich. Long treated as both inferior and threatening prior to the rise of Hitler and then persecuted during his time in power, the Slovenes of Carinthia were prevented from equality of schooling by local Nazis in the years that followed World War Two, behaviour that was tolerated in Vienna and largely ignored by the rest of the world. Slavs in Post-Nazi Austria uses this vital case study to discuss wider issues relating to the stubborn legacy of Nazism in postwar Europe and to instil a deeper understanding of the interplay between collective and individual (liberal) rights in Central Europe. This is a fascinating study for anyone interested in knowing more about the disturbing imprint that Nazism left in some parts of Europe in the postwar years. "An historical investigation into how a Slav minority was treated in a postwar Austrian province, where the legacy of and ideas behind Nazism remained strong."-- "Robert Knight's book examines how the 60,000 strong Slovene community in the Austrian borderland province of Carinthia continued to suffer in the wake of Nazism's fall. It explores how and why Nazi values continued to be influential in a post-Nazi era in postwar Central Europe and provides valuable insights into the Cold War as a point of interaction of local, national and international politics. Though Austria was re-established in 1945 as Hitler's 'first victim', many Austrians continued to share principles which had underpinned the Third Reich. Long treated as both inferior and threatening prior to the rise of Hitler and then persecuted during his time in power, the Slovenes of Carinthia were prevented from equality of schooling by local Nazis in the years that followed World War Two, behavior that was tolerated in Vienna and largely ignored by the rest of the world. Slavs in Post-Nazi Austria uses this vital case study to discuss wider issues relating to the stubborn legacy of Nazism in postwar Europe and to instill a deeper understanding of the interplay between collective and individual (liberal) rights in Central Europe. This is a fascinating study for anyone interested in knowing more about the disturbing imprint that Nazism left in some parts of Europe in the postwar years"-- "Robert Knight's book examines how the 60,000 strong Slovene community in the Austrian borderland province of Carinthia continued to suffer in the wake of Nazism's fall. It explores how and why Nazi values continued to be influential in a post-Nazi era in postwar Central Europe and provides valuable insights into the Cold War as a point of interaction of local, national and international politics. Though Austria was re-established in 1945 as Hitler's 'first victim', many Austrians continued to share principles which had underpinned the Third Reich. Long treated as both inferior and threatening prior to the rise of Hitler and then persecuted during his time in power, the Slovenes of Carinthia were prevented from equality of schooling by local Nazis in the years that followed World War Two, behavior that was tolerated in Vienna and largely ignored by the rest of the world. Slavs in Post-Nazi Austria uses this vital case study to discuss wider issues relating to the stubborn legacy of Nazism in postwar Europe and to instill a deeper understanding of the interplay between collective and individual (liberal) rights in Central Europe. This is a fascinating study for anyone interested in knowing more about the disturbing imprint that Nazism left in some parts of Europe in the postwar years"-- Provided by publisher Cover Contents Acknowledgements Note on Slovene List of Abbreviations Introduction Urban Jarnik’s plea Assimilation and politics Liberal values and post-Nazi society Education politics Germans, Slovenes and ‘Windish’ 1 Assimilation and Coercion Nationalizing politics, 1880–1918 Ethnic politics in the first Austrian Republic, 1918–38 Exclusion and assimilation in the racial state, 1938–45 2 Provincial Politics, 1945–7 From the Third Reich to the Second Republic Slovene participation In defence of the Carinthian Heimat British wind-down, Viennese arrival Bilingual education under pressure 3 Cold War Politics, 1947–9 The Carinthian border in London and Moscow Calm and agitation Agreement deferred Minority protection Attacking Slovenes, courting Nazis 4 Lobbying against Slovene, 1949–57 The campaign for ‘parental rights’ Three federal targets Wedenig’s salvage attempt Sovereignty against Slovene? 5 The Demolition of the Bilingual Primary School, 1957–9 Wedenig’s ‘somersault of death’ Federal abdication Postscript Conclusion Anti-Slovene continuity Post-Nazi society Austria and the international context The dramatization of the Yugoslav threat Liberal values after Nazism Appendix: Bilingual Primary School and Census Results in Southern Carinthia, 1945–60 Notes Sources and Bibliography Index