Vienna 1938: The Last Days—The Annexation of Austria and the Resistance of an Artistic City

There was once a time in Japan when interest in Viennese culture from the late 19th to early 20th century rose to what could be called a "boom." Masterpieces such as Schorske's "Fin-de-Siècle Vienna" and Johnston's "The Austrian Mind" were translated one after another, and art exhibitions themed around fin-de-siècle Vienna were also held.

When hearing the term "Fin-de-Siècle Vienna," many people likely think of the sensual paintings of Klimt and Schiele, the non-ornamental architecture of Wagner and Loos, the new music of Mahler and Schoenberg, Freud's "discovery" of the unconscious, and the "Young Vienna" school of literature including Schnitzler and Hofmannsthal.

In Strauss's operetta "Die Fledermaus," it is sung that "Happy is he who forgets what cannot be changed," and perhaps the lewd, rich, and decadent atmosphere of fin-de-siècle Vienna resonated with the atmosphere of Japan at the time as it moved from the peak of the bubble economy toward its collapse.

So, when did this mellow Viennese culture perish?

From a textbook perspective, one could say it was 1918, when the Habsburg Empire was defeated in World War I and collapsed. However, even in interwar Austria, which survived as a small country, Freud continued his exploration of psychoanalysis with his daughter Anna; Mahler's widow, Alma, devoted herself to cultural activities with her second husband, the writer Werfel; Mahler's disciple Walter was active on the podium of the State Opera; and Hofmannsthal worked hard to establish the Salzburg Festival. Even though the empire had perished, the culture lived on.

The definitive "end" of this culture since the late 19th century was the annexation of Austria (Anschluss) by Hitler and Nazi Germany in 1938. Despite being from Austria himself and growing up in the atmosphere of fin-de-siècle Viennese culture, Hitler hated his homeland and wished for its disappearance.

This book depicts the confrontation between Hitler and Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg over the annexation of Austria, while simultaneously portraying the cultural situation before and after the annexation through the movements of various cultural figures such as writers, musicians, and philosophers. I would be pleased if readers interested in this era from a wide range of political and cultural perspectives would read it.

Vienna 1938: The Last Days—The Annexation of Austria and the Resistance of an Artistic City

Yoshihiko Takahashi

Keio University Press

296 pages, 2,970 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time this magazine was published.