Bibliography - Historical Setting

Given the scope of Austrian history and Austria's complex relationships with the other countries of Central Europe, English-language histories of Austria generally focus on particular segments of Austrian history rather than on an attempt to give equal attention to all centuries. Alexander Wigram Allen Leeper's A History of Medieval Austria is a key source for medieval history prior to the Habsburgs. The Habsburg Empire, 1790-1918 by Carlile Aylmer Macartney is an excellent and inclusive treatment of the late history of the Habsburg Empire, although its level of detail and thoroughness may be more than the casual reader desires. Robert A. Kann's A History of the Habsburg Empire, 1526-1918 is a more accessible text, focusing on broader themes rather than on the minutiae of history. Robert John Weston Evans's The Making of the Habsburg Monarchy, 1550-1700 also takes a thematic approach but covers only a portion of the Habsburg centuries. However, it provides a useful examination of the intellectual underpinnings of the Habsburg state.

Barbara Jelavich has written two excellent books covering the post-1815 era: The Habsburg Empire in European Affairs, 1814-1918 and Modern Austria: Empire and Republic, 1815-1986. Their relative brevity and conciseness make them excellent overviews.

The selection of books covering specific topics is growing steadily. Of particular interest and merit are Samuel R. Williamson, Jr.'s Austria-Hungary and the Origins of the First World War; Radomir Luza's two books, Austro-German Relations in the Anschluss Era and The Resistance in Austria, 1938-1945; and Alfred D. Low's The Anschluss Movement, 1918-1938.

For those interested in more current history, Melanie A. Sully's A Contemporary History of Austria focuses on the post-Kreisky era.

Barker, Elisabeth. Austria, 1918-1972. Coral Gables,
     Florida: University of Miami Press, 1973.

Bridge, F.R. The Habsburg Monarchy among the Great Powers,
     1815-1918. New York: Berg, 1990.

Evans, Robert John Weston. The Making of the Habsburg Monarchy,
     1550-1700: An Interpretation. Oxford: Clarendon Press,
     1984.

Gellott, Laura S. The Catholic Church and the Authoritarian
     Regime in Austria, 1933-1938. New York: Garland, 1987.

Jelavich, Barbara. The Habsburg Empire in European Affairs,
     1814-1918. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1969.

------. Modern Austria: Empire and Republic, 1815-1986.
     Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987.

Johnson, Lonnie. Introducing Austria: A Short History.
     Riverside, California: Ariadne Press, 1989.

Kann, Robert A. A History of the Habsburg Empire,
     1526-1918. Berkeley: University of California Press,
     1977.

Leeper, Alexander Wigram Allen. A History of Medieval
     Austria. London: Oxford University Press, 1941.

Low, Alfred D. The Anschluss Movement, 1918-1938: Background
     and Aftermath--An Annotated Bibliography of German and
     Austrian Nationalism. New York: Garland, 1984.

Luza, Radomir. Austro-German Relations in the Anschluss
     Era. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1975.

------. The Resistance in Austria, 1938-1945. Minneapolis:
     University of Minnesota Press, 1984.

Macartney, Carlile Aylmer. The Habsburg Empire, 1790-1918.
     London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1968.

Reinerman, Alan J. Austria and the Papacy in the Age of
     Metternich. (2 vols.) Washington: Catholic University of
     America Press, 1979.

Sully, Melanie A. A Contemporary History of Austria.
     London: Routlege, 1990.

------. Continuity and Change in Austrian Socialism: The
Eternal Quest for the Third Way. Boulder, Colorado: East
     European Monographs, 1982.

Tapié, Victor Lucien. The Rise and Fall of the Habsburg
     Monarchy. New York: Praeger, 1971.

Vexler, Robert I. Austria: A Chronology and Fact Book,
     1437-1973. Dobbs Ferry, New York: Oceana, 1977.

Ward, David. 1848: The Fall of Metternich and the Year of
     Revolution. New York: Weybright and Talley, 1970.

Williamson, Samuel R. Austria-Hungary and the Origins of the
     First World War. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1991.

Zöllner, Erich. Geschichte Österreichs: Von den Anfängen bis
     zur Gegenwart. Vienna: Verlag für Geschichte und Politik,
     1970.