Austria
Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire,
Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World
War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent
occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945, Austria's status remained
unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation,
recognized Austria's independence, and forbade unification with
Germany. A constitutional law that same year declared the country's
"perpetual neutrality" as a condition for Soviet military
withdrawal. The Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and Austria's entry
into the European Union in 1995 have altered the meaning of this
neutrality. A prosperous, democratic country, Austria entered the
EU Economic and Monetary Union in 1999.
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