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Salzburg 1918–1919: Vom Kronland zum Bundesland ed. by Oskar Dohle and Thomas Mitterecker

2021; Austrian Studies Association; Volume: 54; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1353/oas.2021.0009

2327-1809

Katherine Arens,

Historical Studies of British Isles

Reviewed by: Salzburg 1918–1919: Vom Kronland zum Bundesland ed. by Oskar Dohle and Thomas Mitterecker Katherine Arens Oskar Dohle and Thomas Mitterecker, eds., Salzburg 1918–1919: Vom Kronland zum Bundesland. Schriftenreihe des Forschungsinstitutes für politisch- historische Studien der Dr.- Wilfried- Haslauer- Bibliothek, Salzburg 68; Schriftenreihe des Archivs der Erzdiözese Salzburg 19; Schriftenreihe des Salzburger Landesarchivs 29 Vienna: Böhlau Verlag, 2018. 476 pp. Salzburg 1918–1919 is one of those rare volumes that shows the power and scope of history in cultural studies when the strengths of archives and libraries are mobilized rather than university scholarship alone. Edited by Oskar Dohle, director of the Salzburger Landesarchiv and professor at the University of Salzburg, and Thomas Mitterecker, head of the Archiv der Erzdiözese Salzburg and president of the Gesellschaft für Salzburger Landeskunde, have assembled a Who's Who of scholars specializing in the region, some academics and/or archivists, others, like Mag. Stefanie Habsburg-Halbgebauer, professionally engaged with Salzburg history and culture. A brief review cannot do justice to this beautifully produced and richly documented and illustrated volume that should emerge as the standard introduction to how the Habsburg monarchy fared as it devolved into the Republic of Austria. As the editors introduce the project's scope and goals: Die Monate vor und nach dem Ende des Ersten Weltkrieges, vom Sommer 1918 bis zu den ersten Wahlen im April 1919, waren auch im heutigen Bundesland Salzburg eine Zeit der Unsicherheit, ausgelöst durch die labile Sicherheitslage als Folge des Zusammenbrechens der bislang bestehenden militärischen und staatlichen Strukturen. Zudem konnte die Versorgung der Bevölkerung mit den nötigsten [End Page 130] Gütern des täglichen Bedarfs nur unzureichend gewährleistet werden. Diese Phase war jedoch auch geprägt von personellen, institutionellen und politischen Kontinuitäten, die dazu beitrugen, dass der Übergang Salzburgs vom Kronland zum Bundesland vergleichsweise ruhig und ohne blutige Ausschreitungen verlief. Die Aufsätze im vorliegenden Sammelband versuchen diesen Zeitraum aus den verschiedensten Perspektiven zu beleuchten. (9) What Journal of Austrian Studies readers should note is how the editors have fulfilled this claim, by mapping through various perspectives the dimensions of political and social experience that scholars who espouse cultural historical approaches need to consider for situating and elucidating texts, events, entities, or individuals. The well-ommitted and impeccably researched individual essays tell precise stories connecting prewar Austro-Hungarian contexts with the Republic and support their narratives with deep dives into both archival sources and printed scholarship—the twenty-page bibliography at the end of the volume is a treasure for both Salzburg history and Austro-Hungarian/Austrian history topics. The resort is exemplary public scholarship that connects dense, nuanced accounts of particular historical moments with explanations about why we should care about them. The twenty-eight essays are divided into nine sections. The first, "Politik und Verwaltung," includes two essays on the administrative details of the momentous political transition as reflected in administrative organization and the provisory Landesversammlung that preceded the Republic. The second section, on "Politische Parteien," addresses in individual essays the Christian Socialist Party, the "Großdeutsche Volkspartei," the Social Democrats, and the early National Socialists. The latter chapter documents Hitler's early public appearances as well as his connections to Munich. The "Katholische Kirche" section tracks how the Church acted and adapted within transforming political processes, including how Church law and state law needed to be separated. The most significant may be an account of the career of Alois Winkler, the prelate most known for bridging church and politics in the era as prewar Landeshauptmann, official in the archdiocese, elected president of the Landesversammlung in 1919, and again Landeshauptmann within the transitional government. The section includes [End Page 131] the intimate story about how Salzburg's church bells were donated to or confiscated for the war as sources of metal, and how they were partially recaptured and re-forged. The section on "Presseberichterstattung" addresses the political and military events of the day, including the 1919 elections to the Landtag. The subsequent section discusses Salzburg's Sicherheitslage: issues of public safety and control of civil unrest, problems with German soldiers remaining in Austria, demobilization issues, and problems with POWs...