On 27 April 1945, after seven years of annexation by Germany, the Provisional Government of Austria publishes a declaration of Austrian independence which establishes the Second Republic of Austria.

On 27 April 1945, members of the first provisional Austrian Government — Chancellor Karl Renner, Theodor Körner, Johann Koplenig, Adolf Schärf and Leopold Figl — walk towards the steps of the National Council in Vienna.

Posters published by the Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) and the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) with a view to the parliamentary elections due to be held on 25 November 1945.

In 1945, the provisional Austrian Government sits in the National Parliament in Vienna.

On 25 November 1945, the first general elections of the post-war period in Austria end in a resounding defeat for the Communist Party.

On 13 May 1945, at a meeting in Vienna of the Austrian Communist Party (KPÖ), its chairman Johann Koplenig outlines the major challenges for the reconstruction of Austria and emphasises the role of the communists in building a new Austria.

In 1945, Leopold Figl, Chancellor of the Austrian Republic and leader of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), outlines his ideas on Austria’s position in post-war Europe and emphasises his country’s European credentials.

In the run-up to the parliamentary elections of 9 October 1949, the Austrian Communist Party (KPÖ) publishes a poster depicting the threat posed by the remilitarisation of Austria, whilst the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) warns Austrian voters against the dangers of Communism.

The first session of the Austrian Parliament after the elections of autumn 1949.

The Austrian Parliament building damaged in 1945 by the Allied bombings.

The ‘Hohe Markt' district in Vienna is left heavily damaged by the Allied bombings of 1945.

In 1945, the Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) draws up a detailed plan for the economic, political and social reconstruction of post-war Austria.

In April 1945, the Provisional Government of Austria calls on its soldiers to lay down their weapons and hopes that all Austrian people will support the democratic and anti-Fascist forces with a view to the reconstruction of a free and independent Austria.

On 8 July 1946, as debates are held in the National Council, the Austrian Chancellor, Leopold Figl, gives an address in Vienna on the importance of the reconstruction of Austria and raises the question of the war reparations owed by the country to the Allies.

On 25 July 1946, Karl Renner, President of the Republic of Austria, acknowledges receipt of the first ten ‘Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe’ (CARE) parcels sent by the US President, Harry Truman, to the needy Austrian people.

In the immediate post-war period, Austria receives US material aid allocated under the emergency CARE programme. On the left, Theodor Körner, Mayor of the City of Vienna from 1945 to 1951.

Poster published by the Austrian Federal Government to promote the positive aspects of the economic and financial aid granted by the United States to Austria in 1947 and 1948 under the Marshall Plan.

Poster published in 1949 in Austria to illustrate the benefits of US food aid.

On 1 November 1943, in the Tripartite Declaration made in Moscow, the British, Soviet and US Allies assert that ‘Austria, the first free country to fall a victim to Hitlerite aggression, shall be liberated from German domination’ and regain full and complete independence.

On 13 April 1945, the Soviet army publishes a poster celebrating the liberation of Vienna and draws the Austrian people’s attention to their country’s political future.

In 1945, Allied Army Generals in Austria inspect the troops. From left to right: Soviet Marshal Ivan S. Konev, US General Mark W. Clark, British Colonel Gordon Smith and French General Antoine Bethouart.

On 27 June 1945, the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff sends a Directive to General Mark Clark, Commander-in-Chief of the US occupation forces in Austria, defining the tasks and the prerogatives of the Allied Council in Austria.

On 9 July 1945, representatives of the US, British, French and Soviet Governments agree on the division of the various occupation zones in Austria and their control.

Poster outlining the results of the first session of the Allied Council for Austria, held on 11 September 1945 in Vienna and attended by representatives of the four occupying forces in Austria (France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States).

The guard of the Allied military police, made up of US, British, French and Soviet troops, is changed by an officer of the Red Army in the streets of Vienna (1945).

Soviet army checkpoint at the Enns Bridge, on the demarcation line between the Allied and Soviet occupation zones, Upper Austria.

Austrian poster illustrating the role of the Allied military police in Vienna in 1946.

Le 27 janvier 1947, le gouvernement belge expose ses vues quant à la question de la préparation d'un traité reconnaissant l'indépendance de l'Autriche.

On 30 January 1947, during the Four-Power Conference in London, Leopold Figl, Austrian Chancellor, gives an address on the political future of Austria and announces the expectations of his fellow citizens regarding the establishment of a State Treaty.

In January 1947, the Dutch government drafts a memorandum detailing the position of the Netherlands on the question of the settlement of the future Austrian statute.

In 1947, members of the French, British, US and Soviet military police conduct a joint patrol in the streets of Vienna.

In 1948, during the plenary session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ), Ernst Fischer, member of the KPÖ, gives an address to the National Council in Vienna on the end of the military occupation of Austria and, in particular, accuses the Western Allies of attempting to slow down the implementation of a State Treaty for the re-establishment of an independent, democratic Austria.

Le 9 février 1949, près de quatre ans après la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale et de la fin de l'annexion de l'Autriche par l'Allemagne nazie, le quotidien viennois Neues Österreich s'interroge sur l'avenir politique et économique de l'Autriche.

In October 1951, the poster for the film ‘Four in a Jeep’, by the Swiss Director, Leopold Lindtberg, gives a romantic portrayal of the daily life of the Allied military police during the occupation of Austria.

In August 1953, Alfred Mozer, General Secretary of the Dutch Socialist Party Partij van de Arbeid, travels to Austria, a country occupied by the Western Allies and the Soviet Union, and assesses the Austrian political situation.

On 30 October 1953, Bruno Pittermann, a Viennese Socialist MP, gives an address to the Austrian National Council in which he protests against the limits to sovereignty imposed on the country by the Allies before making a fervent plea in favour of Austrian independence.

On 19 February 1954, the Austrian daily newspaper Wiener Kurier outlines the positions of the various negotiators at the Berlin Conference, attended by delegates from the four powers occupying Austria.

Map showing the occupation zones controlled by the Soviet Union, the United States, the United Kingdom and France in Austria and Vienna between 1945 and 1955.

On 20 December 1947, the French daily newspaper Le Monde outlines the course of the negotiations between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union on the future status of Austria.

"Larmes de crocodile". En février 1954, le caricaturiste autrichien Ironimus illustre l'échec de la conférence des ministres des Affaires étrangères à Berlin et des difficultés rencontrées par la délégation autrichienne - composée de Leopold Figl, ministre des Affaires étrangères, et de Bruno Kreisky, secrétaire d'État - lors des négociations sur le traité d'État avec leur homologue soviétique Viatcheslav Molotov.

In 1955, the Austrian Government delegation leaves for Moscow to take part in negotiations on the Austrian State Treaty. From left to right: Leopold Figl, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Adolf Schärf, Vice-Chancellor, Julius Raab, Federal Chancellor, and Sergei Kudriavtsev, Soviet Deputy High Commissioner in Austria.

‘State Treaty: A Christmas wish.' In 1954, the Austrian cartoonist, Ironimus, illustrates the desire of the Austrian people for the re-establishment of a free, independent and democratic Austria.

On 15 March 1955, the Vienna-based daily newspaper Neues Österreich leads with the position adopted by the Soviet Union on the issue of the Austrian State Treaty

On 15 April 1955, government delegations from Austria and the Soviet Union issue a joint memorandum on the outcome of the negotiations held in Moscow on the implementation of the provisions of the Austrian State Treaty.

On 15 April 1955, the Vienna daily newspaper Neuer Kurier welcomes the success of the negotiations on the Austrian State Treaty held in Moscow between the Austrian and Soviet Delegations.

"Les 4, qui s'en allèrent, pour apprendre la peur". En avril 1955, le caricaturiste autrichien Ironimus illustre le départ pour Moscou d'une délégation autrichienne - composée du chancelier Julius Raab, du vice-chancelier Adolf Schärf, du ministre des Affaires étrangères Leopold Figl et du secrétaire d'État Bruno Kreisky - en vue entamer des négociations sur le traité d'État autrichien.

On 26 April 1955, Pierre Safroy, French Ambassador to Luxembourg, describes to Antoine Pinay, French Foreign Minister, the enthusiastic impressions of the Luxembourg Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Joseph Bech, following his official visit to Vienna.

‘STATE TREATY: Poor eyesight.’ In 1954, the Austrian cartoonist, Ironimus, emphasises the pressure exerted by the Austrian Chancellor, Julius Raab, on Vyacheslav Molotov, Foreign Minister of the Soviet Union, to make progress regarding the settlement of the future status of Austria.

‘When the May breeze blows …’ On 5 May 1955, in anticipation of the signing of the Austrian State Treaty in Vienna, the Austrian daily newspaper Neuer Kurier portrays the way in which Austria is cosseted by the United States and the Soviet Union.

On 15 May 1955, the State Treaty for the Re-establishment of an Independent and Democratic Austria is signed at Belvedere Palace in Vienna by Julius Raab, Austrian Federal Chancellor, Leopold Figl, Austrian Foreign Minister, Antoine Pinay, French Foreign Minister, Harold Macmillan, British Foreign Secretary, John Foster Dulles, US Secretary of State, Vyacheslav Molotov, Soviet Foreign Minister, Ivan Ilichev, Soviet High Commissioner in Austria, Sir Geoffrey Wallinger, British High Commissioner in Austria, Llewellyn Thompson, US High Commissioner in Austria, and Roger Lalouette, French Deputy High Commissioner in Austria.

On 15 May 1955, the State Treaty for the Re-establishment of an Independent and Democratic Austria is signed at Belvedere Palace in Vienna by Julius Raab, Austrian Federal Chancellor, Leopold Figl, Austrian Foreign Minister, Antoine Pinay, French Foreign Minister, Harold Macmillan, British Foreign Secretary, John Foster Dulles, US Secretary of State, Vyacheslav Molotov, Soviet Foreign Minister, Ivan Ilyichev, Soviet High Commissioner in Austria, Sir Geoffrey Wallinger, British High Commissioner in Austria, Llewellyn Thompson, US High Commissioner in Austria, and Roger Lalouette, French Deputy High Commissioner in Austria.

On 15 May 1955, the State Treaty for the Re-establishment of an Independent and Democratic Austria is signed at Belvedere Palace in Vienna by Julius Raab, Austrian Federal Chancellor, Leopold Figl, Austrian Foreign Minister, Antoine Pinay, French Foreign Minister, Harold Macmillan, British Foreign Secretary, John Foster Dulles, US Secretary of State, Vyacheslav Molotov, Soviet Foreign Minister, Ivan Ilyichev, Soviet High Commissioner in Austria, Sir Geoffrey Wallinger, British High Commissioner in Austria, Llewellyn Thompson, US High Commissioner in Austria, and Roger Lalouette, French Deputy High Commissioner in Austria.

On 15 May 1955, Leopold Figl (centre), Austrian Foreign Minister, holds aloft to the crowd gathered in front of the Belvedere Palace in Vienna the State Treaty signed that day by the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the USSR, officially putting an end to the war in the Alpine state.

On 15 May 1955, Leopold Figl, Austrian Foreign Minister, delivers an address at the Belvedere Palace in Vienna in which he welcomes the signing of the State Treaty which restores full sovereignty to Austria.

On 15 May 1955, the French Foreign Minister, Antoine Pinay, gives an address on the occasion of the signing in Vienna of the State Treaty which returns sovereignty to Austria.

On 15 May 1955, Harold Macmillan, British Foreign Secretary, gives an address at the ceremony to mark the signing of the Austrian State Treaty in Vienna in which he welcomes the fact that Austria has regained its sovereignty and assures the country of British support.

On 15 May 1955, a special edition of the Austrian daily newspaper Wiener Zeitung is devoted to the signing, the same day in Vienna, of the State Treaty for the Re-establishment of an Independent and Democratic Austria.

Ten years after the end of the war, Austria is preparing to regain its freedom through the signing of the State Treaty on 15 May 1955. The Vienna daily newspaper Neuer Kurier comments on the reactions of the international press.

In 1955, the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) emphasises its role in the establishment of the State Treaty by referring to a statement made in 1947 by Karl Renner, Austrian Federal President, which compares the four occupying powers to elephants that make it impossible to manoeuvre the Austrian boat.

On 16 May 1955, André François-Poncet, French Ambassador in Bonn, describes to Antoine Pinay, French Foreign Minister, the mixed feelings in German political circles with regard to the Austrian State Treaty.

The day after the signing of the Austrian State Treaty, the Vienna daily newspaper Neuer Kurier reports on the event.

On 16 May 1955, the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera analyses the geopolitical and military implications of the signing of the State Treaty on 15 May 1955 which grants Austria neutrality.

On 10 June 1955, John Foster Dulles, US Secretary of State, outlines to the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations the process that led to the signing of the Austrian State Treaty in Vienna on 15 May 1955.

On 26 October 1955, the Austrian National Council passes the Constitutional Law which lays down Austria’s permanent neutral status.

In his memoirs, Bruno Kreisky, former Austrian Junior Foreign Minister, discusses the negotiations conducted with Soviet leaders in Moscow and Vienna which led to the signing of the Austrian State Treaty on 15 May 1955.

‘The State Treaty: What can the Chancellor be dreaming of?’ In January 1955, the Austrian cartoonist, Ironimus, illustrates the expectations of the Austrian Chancellor, Julius Raab, who dreams of concluding a State Treaty for Austria.

In 1955, the Allied Council meets for the final time in Vienna pursuant to the State Treaty re-establishing an independent, neutral and democratic Austria.

On 27 July 1955, pursuant to the State Treaty re-establishing an independent, neutral and democratic Austria, the Allied High Commissioners for Austria hold their final joint meeting in Vienna. From left to right: François Seydoux de Clausonne (France), Ivan Ilyichev (Soviet Union), James Kedzie Penfield (United States) and Sir Geoffrey Wallinger (United Kingdom).

On 14 September 1955, in front of their headquarters in Vienna, an allied patrol consisting of, from left to right, American, British, French and Soviet officers celebrate the end of the military occupation of Austria.

In 1955, these Soviet soldiers stationed in Vienna prepare to return home after the entry into force of the Austrian State Treaty of 15 May 1955 re-establishing an independent, neutral and democratic Austria.

In 1955, these US soldiers stationed in Vienna prepare to return home after the entry into force of the Austrian State Treaty of 15 May 1955 re-establishing an independent, neutral and democratic Austria.

‘Fifty years of our life.’ In 1968, the Austrian cartoonist, Ironimus, illustrates in his own inimitable style 50 years (from 1918 to 1968) of Austrian political and military life.

In 1974, at a conference held in Austria on the economic and political situation in Europe, Archduke Otto von Habsburg-Lothringen, President of the International Paneuropean Union, emphasises the need for a precise interpretation of Austria’s neutral status, which in no way precludes the country from becoming a member of political or economic organisations.

In 1980, in an interview with the Austrian Federal Press Service, the Austrian Chancellor, Bruno Kreisky, and the former Ambassador, Stephen Verosta, describe the negotiations on the Austrian State Treaty held in Moscow in 1955.

In an article published in the magazine Europäische Rundschau in 1980, Alois Mock, Member of the Austrian National Council and Chairman of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), emphasises the importance of the 1955 State Treaty and of permanent neutrality for Austria, with particular regard to its secure position in international relations, its independence and its national unity.

On the 30th anniversary of the Austrian State Treaty signed by representatives of the Soviet Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Austria on 15 May 1955 in Vienna, the French daily newspaper Le Monde traces the events which led to the neutrality of Austria.