The Treatment of Austria and Hungary after World War II

After the fall of Germany during World War II, the question of what to do with the surviving nations was posed to the Allied Powers. Two of these nations were Austria and Hungary. Austria was treated much like Germany was. It was divided into four separate parts and each part was occupied by one of the Ally Powers. There was a British, French, Soviet, and American zone. After the war it became very hard to travel across the border of the Soviet zone, much like Germany at the time. However, Austria was treated with more leniency because the country was initially invaded by Germany at the beginning of the war. Finally in May of 1955, the country signed the Austrian State Treaty with all of the occupying forces. This treaty granted Austria complete independence, and later that year, the Austrian Parliament declared that the country was “permanently neutral”.

The fate of Hungary would be very different though. After the war, the whole country was occupied by Soviet troops, and the communist influence was obvious. Stalinist rule was established. Forced collectivization and a planned economy were implemented into the Hungarian government, and the Hungarian citizens faced harsh conditions. In 1956, the Hungarian Revolution occurred. The revolution was an attempt to permanently separate Hungary from the Warsaw Pact. However, the Soviets retaliated with an enormous military effort to put an end to the uprising. It was until 1991, when the Soviet Union finally dissolved, that Hungary finally became an independent nation.