“Caught Between Iwan and the Weihnachtsmann”: Occupation, the Marshall Plan, and Austrian Identity

Abstract

This chapter explores ways in which the experiences of Soviet and US occupation may have contributed to a sense of “Austrianness” between 1945 and 1955. It explains the circumstances under which contact with Soviet and US authorities contributed to cultural and political perceptions, and address the Marshall Plan as a significant contribution to Austrian identity formation in the early post-war years. US reports on the Austrian population’s perceptions of the Allies and reactions to the Marshall Plan told a somewhat different story. The material impact of the Marshall Plan notwithstanding, the great significance of US aid during the years 1945–1948 and throughout the course of the European Recovery Plan was that it confirmed for most Austrians their perceptions of the rival superpowers. The announcement of the European Recovery Program, and the Austrian government’s eagerness to participate in it, prompted immediate and trenchant criticism from Austrian communists.