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Austria - Overview and History

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Posted by Your Guide on May 17, 2006 7:40 PM

Austria has a long political, religious, and economic history that dates back to the days of the Holy Roman Empire and is still continuing to be shaped. The territory that is now Austria has been ruled over time by a long line of different conquerors; however, in 1919, it officially became the “Republic of Austria” and then regained its freedom in 1955 from the Soviet Union. Finally, it became part of the European Union in 1995. This move has not only made a difference politically; it has also affected Austria’s economic status. Now that it is not entirely reliant on Germany for its financial growth, Austria’s economy has grown stronger.

The political structure of Austria now looks something like this – There is a President who is head of state and a Chancellor who is chairman of the government. Parliament is divided into two chambers, the upper - Bundesrat, and the lower – Nationalrat. One of Austria’s key features is that it is a neutral country which affects the way it does foreign policy. However, in addition to its neutral status, Austria does try to maintain a strong support system and bridge-way for communication for eastern and western countries.

Most of the 8.1 million citizens of Austria are German-speaking. However, because of the many other countries surrounding Austria, there is also much variety in the people of the country, their descents, etc. Even the plethora of religions in the state, which vary from the Eastern Orthodox Church to Buddhists, reflects this diversity. It is evident from the diversity among the people who can be found in Austria in addition to the way that the country attempts to assist other countries in their communication and trade that Austria is not concerned merely with itself but also with the peace and prosperity of other European nations.

Next Page: The History of Austria

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