Allied-occupied Austria

Republic of Austria
Republik Österreich (Austrian German)
1945–1955
Occupation zones in Austria 1945–1955
Occupation zones in Austria 1945–1955
Occupation sectors in Austria
Occupation sectors in Austria
StatusMilitary occupation
CapitalVienna
Common languagesAustrian German[a]
Austro-Bavarian
Alemannic
Religion
Christianity (Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant)
Demonym(s)Austrian
GovernmentDependent federal parliamentary republic
Governors 
• British zone
Richard McCreery
• American zone
Mark W. Clark
• French zone
Antoine Béthouart
• Soviet zone
Ivan Konev
• Soviet Military Occupation
Fyodor Tolbukhin
President 
• 1945–1950
Karl Renner
• 1951–1955
Theodor Körner
Chancellor 
• 1945
Karl Renner
• 1945–1953
Leopold Figl
• 1953–1955
Julius Raab
Historical eraAftermath of World War II / Cold War
13 April 1945
• Established
27 April 1945
• End of World War II
8 May 1945
27 July 1955
• Last Allies left
25 October 1955
Population
• 1945
6,793,000
• 1955
6,947,000
CurrencyAustrian schilling
ISO 3166 codeAT
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Alpine and Danube Reichsgaue
Second Austrian Republic
Today part ofAustria

Austria was occupied by the Allies and declared independent from Nazi Germany on 27 April 1945 (confirmed by the Berlin Declaration for Germany on 5 June 1945), as a result of the Vienna offensive. The occupation ended when the Austrian State Treaty came into force on 27 July 1955.

After the Anschluss in 1938, Austria had generally been recognized as part of Nazi Germany. In November 1943, however, the Allies agreed in the Declaration of Moscow that Austria would instead be regarded as the first victim of Nazi aggression—without denying Austria's role in Nazi crimes—and treated as a liberated and independent country after the war.

In the immediate aftermath of World War II, Austria was divided into four occupation zones and jointly occupied by the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, the United States, and France. Vienna was similarly subdivided, but the central district was collectively administered by the Allied Control Council.

Whereas Germany was divided into East and West Germany in 1949, Austria remained under joint occupation of the Western Allies and the Soviet Union until 1955; its status became a controversial subject in the Cold War until the warming of relations known as the Khrushchev Thaw. After Austrian promises of perpetual neutrality, Austria was accorded full independence on 15 May 1955 and the last occupation troops left on 25 October that year.
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